Vardavar is a pagan holiday. It is still not entirely known how it appeared. We will share perhaps the most beautiful origin story. “Vard” translated from Armenian means rose. It was this flower that the ancient Armenians associated with the goddess of love and beauty Astghik. She irrigated everything around with rose water, sprinkled the earth with her favorite flowers, filling the hearts of Armenians with love. One day Astghik was kidnapped by Yanakh, the god of death, and then the people became embittered, people turned away from each other. But the goddess was saved by her beloved fire god Vahagn, and love returned to the Armenian land again. In pagan times, people decorated the statue of the goddess, as well as their houses and clothes, with flowers, bathed and splashed, illuminated the water with rose petals and doused each other with it. After the advent of Christianity, the holiday coincided with the Transfiguration of the Lord, but the rituals were not abandoned. The church saw in them a connection with the story of the Flood. If you are interested in the history of Armenia, come to free lectures and excursions from Move2Armenia Culture.