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    Categories: 2017

Religion: Armenians celebrate Vardavar Water Festival

Xinhua, China
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-24 04:09:40|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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YEREVAN, Armenia, July 23 (Xinhua) — Armenians had a cooling-off day by splashing water on Sunday, to celebrate a holiday known as Vardavar, widely observed 14 weeks after Easter.

Although the event was observed by the Armenian Apostolic Church as the Transfiguration of Christ, it has its roots deep in the pagan past of Armenia before the adoption of Christianity in 301 AD.

The holiday, once marked as a tribute to Astghik, the pagan goddess of water, beauty, love and fertility, is now celebrated by drenching each other with water.

On Sunday, it was very common to see people dousing complete strangers and unsuspecting passers-by with buckets of water. The festival is particularly popular among the youth as it is the day when everyone is allowed to pull water pranks and get away with it.

The festival comes at a perfect time for the residents of the Armenian capital as hot weather conditions often force many to stay inside.

 

Emil Lazarian: “I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS
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