Holidays

State holidays and memorial days

Following holidays and memorial days are observed in Armenia:

December 31st to January 6th- Christmas holidays.

Non-working days are:

December 31st, January 1st and 2nd (New Year Days)

January 28th- Armenian Army Day,

March 8th- International Women’s Day,

April 7th- Mothers’ and Beauty Day,

April 24th- Armenian Genocide Victims’ Memorial Day,

May 1st- Day of International Solidarity of Workers,

May 9th- Victory and Peace Day,

May 28th- First Republic Day,

July 5th- Constitution Day,

September 21st- Independence Day,

December 7th- 1988 Earthquake Victims’ Memorial Day

Main Religious Holidays
January 6th- Holy Christmas
February 14th- Trndez. It is celebrated 40 days after the Holy Christmas. The name means "Go towards the God". The main ceremony is burning a bonfire, which symbolizes the early advent of spring.
Tsakhkazard (Palm Sunday). It is celebrated a week before the Holy Easter. The holyday symbolizes the solemn arrival of Christ in Jerusalem as a Messiah. On this day, following the tradition boys and girls wear their best clothes, exchange palm branches and wear hallows made from flowers and small branches.
Holy Easter. This is the day of Christ’s resurrection. On this day people great each other with the words: "Christ resurrected" "He truly resurrected". 10 days prior to the Holy Easter Armenian women sow wheat and lentil seeds in a little plate.  On the Holy Easter, they place the colored Easter eggs in these 10 day greens. This becomes the main decoration of Easter table. 
Vardavar (Christ’s transfiguration day). It is celebrated on the 14th Sunday after the Easer. The holiday is very popular. According to an ancient legend the pagan goddess of love, Astghik spread love on the Armenian land by spilling water out of roses and by granting roses. After adoption of Christianity the holiday changed slightly. On Vardavar day, everyone, including children and the elderly, start throwing water on each other from early morning to evening.
Assumption of Holy Virgin. The holiday is celebrated in August. The traditional ceremony of the holiday is the annual blessing of grapes in church. The event coincides with the beginning of harvesting season.
Khachverats (Exhaltation of the Cross). It is celebrated on the Sunday which is the closest to the 14th of September.
Targhmanchants Ton. This is a religious holyday dedicated to Mesrop Mashtots, to his disciples, who did the first translations into Armenian after the creation of the Armenian alphabet (the word "targmanich" means translator). The holiday is also dedicated to other outstanding figures of culture who have not only translated the Bible or other works of world culture, but have remarkable commitment in education, enlightenment and science. Since 1979 with the suggestion of the Writers’ Union of Armenia the holiday is celebrated as all Armenian holiday in October every second year.