The following is a list of public holidays in

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

Legal holidays and remembrance days

Non-working legal holidays and remembrance days

Per Armenian law, 12 days are declared as non-working days. Non-working days include:

Other legal holidays

The following days are mentioned in relevant laws, but are not specified as non-working days: Other traditional, international and professional holidays, as well as religious holidays, can also be celebrated in Armenia. National minorities can also celebrate their national holidays.

Reshuffling by government

The Government of Armenia is allowed to swap working and non-working days. It usually makes use of this e.g. declaring Easter Monday non-working, while the next Saturday becomes a working day instead.

Other memorable days

Vardavar

Every year, 14 weeks after Easter, Armenians celebrate '' Vardavar'' (Վարդավար), a lively festival where people soak each other with water using hoses, buckets, spray guns, and other tools. Regardless of who you are or where you are, you will get wet if you are out and about during Vardavar. The origins of Vardavar trace back to ancient Armenian pagan traditions. Historically, on this day known as Water Day, Armenians made offerings of red roses to Astłik, the goddess of water, beauty, love, and fertility. The name "Vardavar" itself is a blend of the words "vard" (meaning "rose") and "var" (meaning "burn") in Armenian. Despite its pagan roots, Vardavar has been seamlessly integrated into Christian Armenian culture. Following Armenia's conversion to Christianity in 301 AD, the explicit pagan elements were removed from the celebration. However, the festival's essence, symbolized by the joyous and communal water splashing, remains a beloved tradition.

Armenian Earthquake Memorial Day

Armenian Earthquake Memorial Day is a day of remembrance in

for the earthquake of magnitude 6.9 on the Richter scale that struck in northwest Armenia (then part of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

) on 7 December 1988. The earthquake damaged much of the country's infrastructure, especially in the cities of Spitak, Leninakan (now Gyumri), Kirovakan (now Vanadzor), and Stepanavan, along with other small towns and villages near the epicenter. Each year, 7 December is recognized by the government of Armenia (and the de facto government of Nagorno-Karabakh) as a day of remembrance of the tragedies that stemmed from the earthquake in 1988.

Motherhood and Beauty Day

Motherhood and beauty day () is an official holiday in

dedicated to women. While March 8 celebrates all women, April 7 is mother's day. April 7 is the Feast of the Annunciation in the calendar of the

Armenian Apostolic Church The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the Autocephaly, autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christianity, Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic ...

. It is expected to give presents to one's own

mother A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ges ...

. Celebrating each woman as beautiful in her own way, mothers are particularly happy to receive flowers.

References

{{Public holidays in Europe

Culture of Armenia Society of Armenia Observances in Armenia

Holidays A holiday is a day or other period of time set aside for festivals or recreation. ''Public holidays'' are set by public authorities and vary by state or region. Religious holidays are set by religious organisations for their members and are often ...