Festivals & Events

Christianity has been the state religion in Armenia since 301 and as such maintains their original day for Christmas: January 6. The holidays for this period feature a number of feasts, festivals, and observances that take place in the first week of January, kicking off with Armenian Santa Dzmer Papa (winter grandfather), who brings presents on December 31st. Christmas day on January 6 is a time when people bring the fire from churches to their homes, believing it will bless their families.

Celebrated with family, New Year in Armenia involves a feast into the night of pork leg, Armenian dolma, and spicy blinchik, as well as spirits that include Armenian cognac and wine. After the clock strikes midnight on January 1, Armenians often leave their home in the dead of winter in the middle of the night to visit with their neighbors.

Republic Day is a national holiday in Armenia marking the anniversary of the short-lived First Armenian Republic in 1918, celebrated with fireworks, concerts, and parades. The Republic was declared in 1918, shortly after the Armenian genocide, and only a short while later, Armenia would become part of the Soviet empire and would not celebrate Republic Day again until 1988.