Vardavar 2011

Noticiado pelo Caturo, no Gladius:

Realizou-se em Julho a celebração do Vardavar, festival arménio da água junto ao templo restaurado de Garni, perto da capital, Yerevan. O Vardavar tem origem pagã e recentemente tem sido repaganizado - a par do divertimento popular de atirar água aos amigos e a quem passa, cada vez mais adoradores dos Deuses Nacionais da Arménia se juntam nesta cerimónia, que inclui tocadores de trompa, mulheres com cestos cheios de rosas (Vardavar vem de «vard», que significa «rosa») e clérigos com mantos e adagas, circulando em torno do templo.

O sacerdote principal conduz uma cerimónia em honra de Astghik, Deusa do Amor e da Beleza, e dirige-se aos que quiserem tomar parte no baptismo ariano, dizendo-lhes que se aproximem do templo. Ultimamente o culto tem recebido forte aderência dos nacionalistas racialistas.

O editor da revista arménia Azdarar, publicada na Índia, afirma que a tradição de usar água em festivais desta índole pode ser encontrada no Irão, no Afeganistão, no Tajiquistão, na Alemanha e também na Índia. Associa o Vardavar ao Festival das Cores indiano: «os verdadeiros arménios também usaram a água colorida. Água rosa, água pêssego, água pera. É um modo de nos dirigirmos de volta à natureza, de onde viemos. O editor, Martik Sargsyan, é veterano da guerra de Nagorno-Kharabagh, diz-se pronto para participar em mais uma guerra para proteger as suas raizes arianas arménias.

Abundam, no encontro, as conversas e as referências iconográficas à exaltação da arianidade, incluindo diversos emblemas baseados na suástica e inclusivamente a saudação romana.

Mais uma vez devo recorrer ao oráculo virtual [Google] para saber mais:

Vartavar (also known as Vardevar or Vardavar) is a festival in Armenia where people of all ages drench each other with water. Its name is a derivative from “vard” in Armenian, which stands for “rose” in English.

Although now a Christian tradition, Vardavar's history dates back to pagan times. The ancient festival is traditionally associated with the goddess Astghik, who was the goddess of water, beauty, love and fertility. The festivities associated with this religious observance of Astghik were named “Vartavar” because Armenians offered her roses as a celebration (“vart” means “rose” in Armenian), also releasing doves and sprinkling water on each other. Vartavar was celebrated during harvest time.

Vardavar is currently celebrated 98 days (14 weeks) after Easter. During the day of Vardevar, people from a wide array of ages are allowed to douse strangers with water. It is common to see people pouring buckets of water from balconies on unsuspecting people walking below them. The festival is very popular among children as it is one day where they can get away with pulling pranks. It is also a means of refreshment on the usually hot and dry summer days of July.[wikipedia]

In the earliest prehistoric period Asdghig, Astghik, or Astlik, had been worshipped as the Armenian pagan deity of fertility and love, later the skylight had been considered her personification, and she had been the wife or lover of Vahagn. In the later heathen period she became the goddess of love, maidenly beauty, and water sources and springs.

Vartavar festival devoted to Astghik that had been celebrated in mid July, transformed in Christian holiday of the Transfiguration of Christ, and is still celebrated by the Armenians. Like in the heathen time on the day of this fest the people release doves and sprinkle water on each other with wishes of health and good luck.

With Aramazd, the father of all deities, the creator of heaven and earth, (the sun being worshiped as his personification) and Anahit that had been worshiped as Great Lady and Mother Deity (the moon being worshiped as her personification) she forms an astral trinity in the pantheon of Armenian heathen deities. In period of Hellenistic influence Astghik became similar to the Greek Aphrodite and the Mesopotamian Ishtar.

Her name is the diminutive of Armenian աստղ astġ, meaning "star", which through Proto-Indo-European *h₂stḗr is cognate to Sanskrit stṛ, Avestan star, Pahlavi star, Persian sitara´, Pashto storai, Latin and Italian stella and astro, French astre, Spanish astro, German stern, English star, etc. hence, the name is not believed to be related to Semitic Ishtar.

Her principal seat was in Ashtishat (Taron), located to the North from Mush, where her chamber was dedicated to the name of Vahagn, the personification of a sun-god, her lover or husband according to popular tales, and had been named "Vahagn's bedroom".

The temples and places of worship of Astghik had been located in other towns and vilalges, such as the mountain of Palaty (to the South-West from Lake Van), in Artamet (12 km from Van), etc.

The unique monuments of prehistoric Armenia, "višap" vishaps (Arm. višap ‘serpent, dragon’) or “dragon stones”, spread in many provinces of historical Armenia – Gegharkunik, Aragatsotn, Javakhk, Tayk, etc. are another manifastation of her worship.[wikipedia]

Nota da casa: O ressurgimento do paganismo tem trazido de volta aos seres humanos a alegria, o júbilo e a felicidade. Saudemos a volta dos Deuses Antigos!