This year on July 15 the Armenian Apostolic church celebrates the transfiguration of Jesus Christ, that is the Vardavar festival. According to the church calendar this festival is to be celebrated 98 days after Easter, has 35 days mobility and can be within June 28 to August 1 period. The transfiguration of Jesus Christ is one of the five pavilion festivals. It is Petros, Hovhaness and Hakobos apostols’ transformation remembrance in front of the Christ, which according to the legend was on the top of Tabor mountain. The Armenian church names the transfiguration of the Jesus Christ also Transformation Festival or Vardavar.

The latter has the name of an old Armenian custom from which also bursts the custom of throwing water over each other. As regards to archimandrite Ter-Minasyan Vardavar is more than four or five thousand years formed by Noy patriacrch.. Those days Armenians make corollas out of coloured flowers,as well as decorate temples with them, that is why the it is called “Vardavar”. Armenian pour water on each other, swim in rivers and make pigeons fly for the remembrance of Noy and the flood.

As people used not to eat grape till blessed at Our Ladies transfiguration day, they didn’t eat apple till Vardavar either. The habit was called «apple fast».Armenians celebrate the Vardavar differently. According to the folk custom at the night of Vardavar there comes light on the graves of all the saints, and the one who sees that can wish anything and the wish is thought to come true. As the Araratyan Patriarchal diocese press informed the following Monday after the transfiguration day is the Memorial Day. A Holy Mass is led in the church that day after which people go to the graves of the late.