New Year in Armenia

Like different nations in the world, Armenians also wait for the New Year celebration with impatience. New Year in Armenia is considered to be a family celebration with unique traditions and customs. 

The celebration starts late at night on December 31 but according to the traditions, Armenians had three New Year holidays in the past: Amanor (March 21), Navasard (August 11) and the New Year on January 1. 

New Year in Armenia

Navasard 

Navasard has had a unique way of celebration and played a special role in Armenian culture in ancient times. The word Navasard is composed of “nav” meaning new and “sard” meaning year in Armenian. It was celebrated from August 11 to September 9. The aim of Navasard was to worship and please Armenian main pagan gods. During the festivals, Armenians sang songs, performed dances with a festive mood. According to the legend, on this day pagan Gods came down to the Earth, swam in the Aratsani and then watched the celebration from the mountains. But when Armenians adopted Gregorian calendar, the official start of the year was recognized January 1. 

From ancient times till now, New Year has been a special celebration for Armenians.

But why the New Year’s celebration is so special for them? First of all, it is a traditional symbol of new revelations. Armenians believe that the new year will give them new opportunities to start everything from a new point. Besides this, Armenians think that the New Year celebration is a great way to spend time with family, relatives and friends.

Traditions and Customs 

New Year in Armenia is a special celebration, that has its unique traditions. The most typical tradition for Armenians is the guest-host tradition. They can not imagine the celebration without receiving guests. To be fully prepared for guests, they focus on the rich and festive table by preparing many traditional dishes. The table must be lavish and be full of sweets, fruits and beverages. They have unique cuisine, such as: tolma, pork leg, various salads, gata. Ethnographers say that gata has been an inseparable part of the New Year celebration. It was a traditional symbol of luck and happiness. Armenians hid a coin inside of gata and the one who would get the piece with the coin will be lucky during that year. There was also a tradition to cut gata on the back of the older member of the family.  

There is another traditional cookie that people made for new year. These are “Asilik” and “Vasilik”. People usually made this cookies to predict the future. They got different shapes depending on the purpose they were made for. For example if there was a new married bride in the house they gave a cookie the shape of a bride. And when the belly of the cookie swelled, then there is going to be a baby in that house. Or when they wanted to predict the financial conditions of the family they gave the cookie the shape of a pouch. If it swelled than the year would be plentiful and if it dwindled then the year is going to be a heavy one for the family.

For Armenians, it is very important that housewives must start preparing a few days before the New Year. In this way, guests can not leave the table with the feeling of hunger. When visiting others, Armenians always drink a toast for dreams to come true this year. They warmly congratulate each other and wish everyone to fulfill their dreams and achieve their goals.  

Decorations 

The most important part of the celebration is the decoration. Armenians decorate not only the table, but also the house and Christmas tree. They put up a Christmas tree and decorate it with fruits, white doves for peace and different lights. These days almost every street is decorated with lights and garlands. Everything changes into a miracle and you feel festive and cheerful.  

Guest-host tradition

The most joyful part of the guest-host tradition is receiving and giving gifts. Children are always happy to find a gift under the Christmas tree. Also, this celebration is famous for its Dzmer Pap or Kaghand Pap who enters the houses and puts gifts under the Christmas tree.

It is worth feeling the joyful atmosphere during the New Year celebration in Armenia. So, do you want to join this celebration and have exciting winter holidays? 

Active Winter Holidays in Armenia 

Another version of enjoying winter holidays and New Year in Armenia is adventure trips. Armenia is famous for its mountains and breathtaking nature. Among tourists, it is widely known as a great place  for hiking, skiing and climbing mountains. 

For example, one of the Armenian most visited towns Tsaghkadzor is known as a skiing resort. Many tourists who are interested in hiking or different types of sports, visit Tsaghkadzor and enjoy every corner of this town. And the most important thing about Tsagkazdzor is that it is a major sports center for the Republic of Armenia.   

Many people think that winter is not an appropriate season for hikings. But ascending mountains is a great way to enjoy active winter holidays and stay healthy for sure. In Armenia, people have an opportunity to enjoy nature and even climb mountains such as Artanish, Arteni, Apakekar etc.   

Armenia Winter Tours

If you are planning to spend adventure winter holidays and want to feel the hospitable and warm atmosphere in Armenia, there are a number of  tours to choose from. 

If you prefer passive holidays rather than active and want to find a peaceful place, then you can choose One Night in the Cave of Lastiver. You will be given an opportunity to live a day in a cave with limited access to the internet connection, electricity and shower. It will be the best choice if you want to feel and merge with nature. By the way, it will be a unique way for the New Year celebration.

If you have a desire for exploring the Winter Armenia, another good option will be a  “Climbing mount Artanish” hike. It has low altitude and high-level landscapes. On the top of the summit, you can see the place of interference of Big and Little Sevan.  

The way of New Year’s celebration is all about national character and mentality. As long as Armenians are one of the oldest nations in the world, they carry with them many legends and customs from their past. This, of course, has expressed in the New Year’s traditional system. Undoubtedly, we can call it unique, joyful and meaningful. 

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