Lentorama 2021: Take Your Holiday to Go

Day 31: Vardavar

This Armenian celebration takes place roughly 14 weeks after Pascha (Easter), and involves people throwing water on each other. There's also a large cultural festival on the day, with traditional songs, food, art, etc. on display. That the festival is held at both Armenia's best known monastery and its best known pagan temple should tell you something about Vardavar's origins.

The Christian explanation of the holiday says it either celebrates the Feast of the Transfiguration or was a tradition started by Noah where his descendants would sprinkle water on each other and release doves in memory of the Flood. The pagan explanation is that the holiday celebrates Astlik, the Armenian goddess of love, fertility, and water (there's also a tradition that Astlik was actually a daughter of Noah born after the flood, which would be a handy way of tying the pagan and the Christian together). 

The word Vardavar actually references the pagan tradition, as it has a meaning along the lines of "burning roses," which references the offerings of roses given to Astlik. 

Smithsonian Magazine gives a good summary of the holiday and has pictures to underscore that if you're in the country on that day you're going to get soaked.