Next: 4 Jul 2027
Vardavar
Armenia's water festival: fourteen weeks after Easter, children and adults splash everyone they meet.
When is Vardavar in 2027?
Vardavar 2027 is on Sunday, 4 July 2027. Other years: 2026, Sunday, 12 July 2026; 2028, Sunday, 23 July 2028.
About Vardavar
Vardavar is held 98 days after Easter, on the Armenian Apostolic Church's Feast of the Transfiguration. Its older roots are thought to lie in a pre-Christian festival of the goddess Astghik and of water. On the day, people of all ages throw water at each other in the streets, from buckets, bottles and water pistols, and no one is exempt, including passers-by and visiting guests. Fountains in Yerevan's squares become the centre of the fun. Families visit churches, where the Transfiguration is celebrated and grapes are blessed, and in the countryside, people may release doves and eat boiled wheat, korkot, or a sweet bread, gata. Roses and flowers are also given to children, and the splashing in some places has an older sense of blessing for rain and a good harvest.
Vardavar dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Vardavar date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, 12 July 2026 |
| 2027 | Sunday, 4 July 2027 |
| 2028 | Sunday, 23 July 2028 |
What is eaten
- gata
- korkot
- grapes
Also part of it, and being written: Transfiguration of Jesus (The feast of the church.), Astghik (The goddess whose festival may lie behind it.), Armenian Apostolic Church (The church that keeps the day.).
More marked on Vardavar
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Vardavar" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Feast of the Transfiguration: Unknown artist, Public domain, source