Panorama.am

14:42 14/07/2007

VARDAVAR TOMORROW

This year on July 15 the Armenian Apostolic church celebrates the
transfiguration of Jesus Christ, that is the Vardavar
festival. According to the church calendar this festival is to be
celebrated 98 days after Easter, has 35 days mobility and can be
within June 28 to August 1 period. The transfiguration of Jesus Christ
is one of the five pavilion festivals. It is Petros, Hovhaness and
Hakobos apostols’ transformation remembrance in front of the Christ,
which according to the legend was on the top of Tabor mountain. The
Armenian church names the transfiguration of the Jesus Christ also
Transformation Festival or Vardavar.

The latter has the name of an old Armenian custom from which also
bursts the custom of throwing water over each other. As regards to
archimandrite Ter-Minasyan Vardavar is more than four or five thousand
years formed by Noy patriacrch.. Those days Armenians make corollas
out of coloured flowers,as well as decorate temples with them, that is
why the it is called `Vardavar’. Armenian pour water on each other,
swim in rivers and make pigeons fly for the remembrance of Noy and the
flood.

As people used not to eat grape till blessed at Our Ladies
transfiguration day, they didn’t eat apple till Vardavar either. The
habit was called «apple fast».Armenians celebrate the Vardavar
differently. According to the folk custom at the night of Vardavar
there comes light on the graves of all the saints, and the one who
sees that can wish anything and the wish is thought to come true. As
the Araratyan Patriarchal diocese press informed the following Monday
after the transfiguration day is the Memorial Day. A Holy Mass is led
in the church that day after which people go to the graves of the
late.

Source: Panorama.am