If you’re Armenian, you might have remembered a great excuse to drench your siblings, relatives and friends with water on an unbearably hot summer day. Although at the time, you couldn’t believe your parents were actually allowing you to soak other people, while getting dripping yet yourself, this Armenian festival known as “Vardavar” has a richer history than just summer time fun.

Typically celebrated around 14 weeks after Easter, Vardavar’s origins can be traced to pagan times, where it was associated with the goddess of water, love and fertility – Astghik.

The etymology of the word “Vardavar” stems from “vard” meaning “rose” in Armenian. The explanations for the rose connection are quite varied.

According to legend, her beloved Vahagn (another Armenian pagan god) was once injured in a struggle with evil. She rushed barefoot to his aid. On the way, she hurt her feet while treading over the roses and her blood turned them red. This is how red roses came into being: the flower of love was born. She had her temple, where young and old alike would go on pilgrimage to praise her, sing songs, and offer bouquets of flowers and other gifts.

On the other hand, Anaheet was the goddess of “purity, kindness, nurturing, temperance, fertility, wealth, and fullness”. She was identified with water, as a cleansing and purifying agent. In the ancient Hittite language “ooard” meant “water” and “ar” – “to wash”. These were related to Anaheet’s celebration.