The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates Vardavar today, the feast of the Transfiguration of Christ.

Vardavar is one of the five great feasts of the year. The feast of the Transfiguration confirmed the truth that Jesus is the Son of God. The dictate of the feast is to love God, listen to His commandments, and fulfill God's will. God's message to the apostles and the whole world is: "Listen to Him."

Vardavar was also celebrated before the adoption of Christianity, and it is believed to have pagan origins. Vardavar was dedicated to the goddess Astghik, who is the most beloved among Armenians. The word Vardavar consists of the words "vard" and "varel," which means to be anointed with the supreme symbol of love. Vardavar is a festival of creative love, which was patronized by the goddess Astghik. The symbols of the festival are anointed roses and rose water, which the goddess Astghik sprinkles to bestow love on people.

Vardavar coincided with the gathering of ripe grains in the fields.

According to Christian tradition, on the day of the festival, almost everywhere, ears of wheat were taken to church, asking that the fields remain unharmed from hail and locusts. "Khachbur" was made from ears of grain. They were shaped like a cross, a tree branch, a bouquet, and so on.

Before Vardavar, engaged girls would put green wheat or barley in a bowl. On Vardavar, they planted a tree the size of a child in that greenery and decorated it with small cucumbers, apples, and roses. The tree was often winged. This decorated tree, together with the foliage, was called "Khndum."

One of the essential conditions of the holiday is to sprinkle water on each other. Young people in particular would gather at the edge of streams or springs and sprinkle water on each other for hours with joyful jokes, screams, and noise. Vardavar was a holiday of joy, feasting, singing, and dancing, bathed in the fragrance of roses, flowers, and water.