Happy Old New Year

On January 13th Armenians celebrate Old New Year according to the Julian calendar. This may sound strange for other nations. Usually people leave the Christmas tree standing until January 14.

Let me go back in time to inform you about Armenian traditions concerning New Year. In ancient times Armenians used to celebrate New Year on the 21st of March, the first day of spring. While in pagan Armenia, New Year was celebrated on the 11th of August and people called it Navasard.

According to mythology, on August 11th seven Armenian pagan gods; Aramazd (the Father of all Gods and Goddess), Anahit (the Supreme Goddess), Astghik (the Goddess of Love, Beauty and Water), Nane (the Goddess of War), Vahagn (the God of Thunder and Lightning), Mihr (the God of Sun and Heaven Light) and Tir (the God of Wisdom, Science and Studies), came down to the Earth to bathe in the sacred River of Aratsani. In order to please the Gods people scarified grain and blood of animals. August 11 was known as the day when Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat. According to historian Ghevond Alishan, August 11 was also remarkable date for Armenians, as our forefather Hayk had an amazing victory over the Assyrian tyrant Bel.

Only in 1918, Armenians adopted the Gregorian calendar and began to celebrate New Year on January 1st. It is worth to note that Armenians celebrate Christmas on January 6th.

Armenians make a lot of cooking for New Year; their tables must be full of different dishes, salads, cakes, fresh and dry fruit. Each family must have Armenian dolma (ground meat mixed with rice in many spices, wrapped in grape leaves and cabbage), lavash (traditional very thin bread baked in underground clay oven), gata (dough stuffed with mixture of butter and sugar), pakhlava (puff pastry with honey and nuts), etc. In recent years pork leg has become a must-have for New Year table. Besides cooking, Armenians also do much clean up, the traditions tells one must enter New Year with clean house.

Relatives and friends visit each others’ houses, to wish happy New Year, say toasts and taste the dishes. Old New Year kind of announces the end of these celebrations.

Nvard Sununu, FD blogger from Armenia