Monday, March 16, 2015

Project Vardavar in Armenia

Vardavar

In the traditional Armenian range of holidays Vardavar is the greatest holiday of the summer, which is celebrated 14 weeks after Easter. In pre-Christian Armenia this holiday was connected with goddess Anahit to whose heathen temple the young. The word Vardavar means: “the flaming of the rose”. On the day of this holiday everybody pours water on one another starting in the early morning and no one must fell offended or displeased. But in regions people isnt celebrate Vardavar like us, there they took oblated animals and went  to mountains to celebrate ester.


Project Easter in Armenia



Easter (Zatik) is the favourite and the most anticipated holiday in the Christian world. Everybody greets each other on this day: “Christ has arisen"-“Blessed is the resurrection of Christ". During the Lenten fasting season of 40 days before Easter, Armenian families put lentils or other sprouting grains on a tray covered with a thin layer of cotton, and keep it in a light place of the house until Easter when sprouts appear. These green sprouts, symbolizing spring and awakening of nature, are the “grass" on which people place colored eggs to decorate the Easter table. To the present day, Armenians have preserved the beautiful biblical lore which refers to red eggs and cheorek (sweet bread): “When Christ was crucified, his mother took some eggs and bread wrapped in the shawl. When the Mother saw her Son crucified and his arms bleeding, she knelt down and cried. The Mother’s tears and Son’s blood dropping on the shawl colored the eggs and bread. Then the Mother put the shawl on her head. Since that day people began coloring eggs red on Easter day and women began wearing shawls when visiting church.





I think christianity reformed this pagan holiday which symbolized fertility and symbol was the egg:

Now christians dye eggs red as it is the color of Jesus Christ's blood.On this day people says to each other:"Christ has arisen"-"Blessed is the resurrection of Christ."