Vardavar is a festival in Armenia where people of all ages drench each other with water. Its name originates from “vard” in Armenian, “rose” in English. Although now a Christian tradition, Vardavar's history dates back to pagan times. The ancient festival was traditionally associated with the Astghik, the Goddess of love and fertility. The festivities associated with Astghik were named “Vardavar” because Armenians offered her roses, as well as released doves and sprinkled water on each other.
Vardavar is celebrated 98 days or 14 weeks after Easter and is on July 31 this year. Formally, it is the day the Armenian Apostolic Church marks the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. However Armenians usually forget about this and during the day of Vardavar, people of all ages join the craziness of water and pour buckets of water on unsuspecting strangers.
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