Celebration of Vardavar in Karabakh village of Agavno held under peacemakers’ control

Caucasian Knot

Celebration of Vardavar in Karabakh village of Agavno held under peacemakers' control

For the second year, the community of Agavno of the Kashatag District of Nagorno-Karabakh has celebrated the Vardavar holiday. The security of the event was ensured by Russian peacemakers. The Agavno villagers believe that the coverage of the mass events held in their village will draw attention to the problem of their forced eviction.

The Feast of the Lord's Transfiguration (Vardavar) is celebrated by residents of Armenia and Karabakh with street games, dancing and pouring water over. Some residents of Yerevan treat Vardavar as one of the most joyful holidays.

Vardavar is one of the five holidays of the Armenian Apostolic Church in memory of Christ's transfiguration before the apostles Peter, John and James. The holiday has been celebrated in Nagorno-Karabakh every year since 2016.

The community of Agavno, together with the dwelling settlements of Berdzor and Sus, is part of the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor and is under the control of the Armenian party.

According to Andranik Chaushyan, the head of the Agavno community, various events had been also held before the 2020 war, but after that they have acquired a symbolic character.

Astkhik Isakhanyan, the mother of five children, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that "we continue living in Agavno because we are guarded by peacemakers, and because we have nowhere to go – we don't want to become refugees."

Arshak Smbatyan, a pensioner, has been living in Agavno since 1992. He believes that "if the peacemakers abandon Berdzor Corridor, and the Stepanakert-Berdzor (Lachin)-Goris highway is handed over to Azerbaijan, then not a single Armenian will remain here to live in fear of violent death."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 24, 2022 at 11:50 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:
Baku townspeople mark anniversary of end of autumn war with massive march, Azerbaijan celebrates New Year under strict quarantine, Azerbaijan to celebrate date of signing of peace agreement as a holiday.

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