Huffington Post includes Vardavar in 8 most probable water festivals of world
20:55, 27 November, 2013
The American Huffington Post periodical introduced the 8 most probable
water festivals of the world which includes Armenian Vardavar, as
well, `Armenpress’ reports. Celebrated in Armenia, Vardavar is a water
festival derived from both Christian and pagan roots. According to
tradition, the pagan goddess Astghik would spread love and rosewater
around the country while the God Vahagn would protect the people.
Similar to other water festivals, Armenians go onto the streets and
spray one another with water during Vardavar. However, they also have
a tradition of releasing pigeons or doves into the air.
This New Year’s event is one of the most popular festivals in
Thailand, which says quite a lot. Observed in mid-April, Songkran
originally stemmed from a Hindu celebration. Now it is considered to
be an enormous water fight party, cooling people off during Thailand’s
hottest time of the year.
This past summer, Seattle Party Camp launched an event called,
appropriately, “The World’s Largest Water Fight.” The all-day festival
was an attempt to break the Guinness World Record for water fights
while raising money for charity. Although they fell short of the world
record, more than $55,000 was fundraised for Camp Korey, a
recreational organization for kids with life-threatening medical
conditions.
Although Thingyan is also a mid-April New Year’s celebration, this
water festival has very different traditions than Songkran. Thingyan
stems from Buddhist tradition, and still holds a significant amount of
cultural significance in Myanmar. Between throwing buckets of water
onto anyone in their path, villagers also take this time to focus on
doing good deeds for one another.
This festival is very important for the Dai ethnic minority of China.
Similar to Songkran, the Dai Water Splashing Festival is three days
long. On the first day, villagers shop at a special outdoor
marketplace. On the second day, they float lanterns down the Lancang
River, which is said to ward off bad spirits. The climax of the
festival is on the third day, when participants dress up in their
finest clothes, gather at a Buddhist temple and engage in a deliberate
water-splashing ritual.
Also known as the “Water and Ham Festival, Fiesta del Agua y del Jamon
is a celebration of San Juan Batista, known in English as John the
Baptist. Once the clock strikes midnight on June 23rd, a crazy water
fight commences. After everyone is watered-out, the town parties with
beer and fireworks.
Also known as the Cambodian New Year, Chaul Chnam Thmey shares similar
elements with Songkran and Thingyan. However, this festival is more
focused on spiritual cleansing and good deeds, with crafts, music and
dance performances integral to the holiday. Participants bathe
themselves with holy water, and sprinkle perfumed water on monks and
statues of Buddha.
The good people at NYC4nerds.com knew that the Big Apple deserved a
big water fight. On June 29th, 2013, the group organized a monstrous
water fight on the Great Lawn in Central Park, attracting thousands of
participants and the media’s intrigued eye.
© 2009 ARMENPRESS.am