The following is a list of public holidays in Armenia.
Per Armenian law, 12 days are declared as non-working days.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Non-working days include:
| Date | English Name | Local Name | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 January | New Year's Day | Ամանոր | Tradition |
| 6 January | Christmas Day | Սուրբ Ծնունդ | Based on the calendar used in Armenian Apostolic Church |
| 28 January | Army Day | Բանակի օր | In celebration of Armenian Army formation on that day in 1992 |
| 8 March | International Women's Day | Կանանց տոն | Women's Day |
| 24 April | Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day | Եղեռնի զոհերի հիշատակի օր | Remembrance of victims of Armenian Genocide in 1915 |
| 1 May | Labour Day | Աշխատանքի օր | International Workers' Day |
| 9 May | Victory and Peace Day | Հաղթանակի և Խաղաղության տոն | Shushi Liberation Day - on May 8, 1992, Armenian forces freed the city from Azerbaijani military forces, marking an important milestone in Artsakh liberation war for Armenians.Victory Day : 9 May (World War II) was a holiday throughout the USSR and is still an official holiday in Armenia. |
| 28 May | Republic Day | Հանրապետության օր | Establishment of the Democratic Republic of Armenia in 1918 |
| 5 July | Սահմանադրության օր | Adopted in 1995 | |
| 21 September | Independence Day | Անկախության օր | Independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 |
| 31 December | Ամանոր | ||
The following days are mentioned in relevant laws, but are not specified as non-working days:
| Date | English Descript | Local Name | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 February | Mother Language Day | Մայրենի լեզվի օր | Corresponding to International Mother Language Day | |
| 8th Thursday before Easter | Saint Vardanian's Day - the day of good activities and national tribute | Սուրբ Վարդանանց տոն՝ բարի գործի և ազգային տուրքի օր | ||
| 28 February | Day of remembrance for victims of massacres organized in Azerbaijan SSR and protection of rights of Armenian refugees | Ադրբեջանական ԽՍՀ-ում կազմակերպված ջարդերի զոհերի հիշատակի և բռնագաղթված հայ բնակչության իրավունքների պաշտպանության օր | ||
| 7 April | Motherhood and Beauty Day | Մայրության և գեղեցկության տոն | ||
| 16 April | Day of Armenian Cinema | Հայ կինոյի օր | ||
| Last Saturday (or last Sunday if last Saturday is April 24) of April | Day of Citizen of Republic of Armenia | Հայաստանի Հանրապետության քաղաքացու օր | Introduced after 2018 Armenian revolution | |
| 8 May | Defenders of the Country Day | Երկրապահի օր | Day of Yerkrapah veterans | |
| 15 May | Family Day | Ընտանիքի օր | ||
| 16 May | Students and Youth Day | Ուսանողների և երիտասարդների օր | ||
| 1 June | Protection of Children's Rights Day | Երեխաների իրավունքների պաշտպանության օր | Corresponding to international Children's Day | |
| 14 June | Day of Remembrance for the oppressed | Բռնադատվածների հիշատակի օր | ||
| 64th day after Easter | Holiday of Saint Etchmiadzin | Սուրբ Էջմիածնի տոն | ||
| 1 September | Knowledge and School Day | Գիտելիքի և դպրության օր | Knowledge and School Day marks start of school year | |
| 12 September | Sparapet Day | Սպարապետի օր | Honors the memory of Mkhitar Sparapet | |
| 5 October | Teachers' Day | Ուսուցչի օր | Corresponding to World Teachers' Day | |
| Second Saturday of October | Translators' Day | Թարգմանչաց տոն | Remembering the Holy Translators | |
| 10 November | Day of local self-governance | Տեղական ինքնակառավարման օր | ||
| 7 December | Day of Remembrance for Earthquake Victims and Disaster Resistance | Երկրաշարժի զոհերի հիշատակի օր | Remembrance of victims of 1988 earthquake | |
| 9 December | Day of condemning and preventing genocides | Ցեղասպանությունների դատապարտման և կանխարգելման օր |
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.
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.
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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] However, the festival's essence, symbolized by the joyous and communal water splashing, remains a beloved tradition.
Armenian Earthquake Memorial Day is a day of remembrance in Armenia for the earthquake of magnitude 6.9 on the Richter scale[9] that struck in northwest Armenia (then part of the Soviet Union) 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,[10] 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 (Armenian: Մայրության և գեղեցկության օր) is an official holiday in Armenia dedicated to women. While March 8 celebrates all women, April 7 is mother's day.[11] [12] April 7 is the Feast of the Annunciation in the calendar of the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is expected to give presents to one's own mother. Celebrating each woman as beautiful in her own way, mothers are particularly happy to receive flowers.