Armenian Easter

Armenians have celebrated many of their holidays in spring and connected the glorification of Gods with springtime agricultural works. The most important of those holidays was “the birth of Vahagn”, which coincided with New Year in ancient times. In spring, people also celebrated the Mother’s day and Armenian Easter.

5000 years ago, on the day of the spring Equinox (21st of March), the Sumerians separated the birth of Sun (The God of Sun) and called it zidig/zitik, zedik/zetik. That was the only day when the God of Sun ascended from the mountain with two peaks – Masis (“mas” in Sumerian means twin). In Sumerian word zidig/zitik, zedik/zetik means “true sunrise” and symbolizes the fact that the equinox is the only day of the year when the Sun rises exactly in the east. In Armenian Zatik/Zadig was used as a name of the ritual ceremonies, which were dedicated to the spring equinox, and the birth of the god of Sun Vahagn.

The writers of the Old Testament connected this solar holiday with the supposed exit of Jews from Egypt. However, Christians identified Zatik with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As a result, the holiday entered to a foreign environment, got a new meaning, and changed its roots. It came to Armenia along with Christianity and made people forget the true holiday that they had been celebrating for ages. The powerful God of the Sun, rising from the underworld, was identified with the resurrected God. The holiday dedicated to the God of Sun was forgotten, but the name remained in the memory of Armenians thanks to Mesrop Mashtots. While translating the Bible, instead of the word “paseq”, he used the Armenian name Zatik.

Article by Hamlet Martirosyan

Zatik in pagan mythology

Armenian Easter is a spring holiday that is dedicated to goddess Anahit. She is a patron of the fertility and the Mother Earth. Zatik came from the word “zatel” which means to separate. Goddess Anahit separates the colors of spring. According to legend, after the Great Flood the Aryans with ancestor Man descended from mount Masis and started to cultivate the land. Soon they saw that all the plants that were growing there lost their colors. There were no colors: all colors were mixed and were covered with dark shade.

Aryan Man made sacrifices to the goddess Anahit.

– Mother Anahit – said Man – You are the mother of every birth, please, use you powers and send away the darkness from Ararat, separate all colors, make your fruits colorful and tasteful.

Goddess Anahit heard the call of Man and came to him.

– My son – said Anahit – the dragon has spread his poison in Ararat so there is a darkness everywhere. The colors are lost. Yahva keeps all the colors in his underground kingdom. There is one magical Firebird, which lives in Ararat. It sings beautiful songs and lays colorful eggs, thus renewing the freshness of the colors of Ararat. Now the dragon captured the bird. You must bring the Firebird back.

Man went to fight the dragon and to return the Firebird. After the birth of Vahagn, at dawn after the first full moon, Aryan Man took the Firebird and came out into the light.

The Aryans who had been waiting for him all night were delighted. Man put the Firebird on the grass. It was shining with the colors of the rainbow. Then the bird started to sing and lay colorful eggs.

Goddess Anahit descended to Ararat. She collected many colors from the eggs and spread them all over the Ararat. Then she released the Firebird and ordered to make a nest in the mountains of Ararat and always keep Ararat colorful. Then Anahit referred to Man.

– Aryan Man, now you can start cultivating in the soils of Ararat and it will give you colorful fruits.

Aryans started to work with great joy, while the children and young women danced, sang and played games with colorful eggs until late in the evening.

Article from vahagnakanch.wordpress.com

Photos by Tigran Shahbazyan