Armenia holidays
Folk, religious, regional and agricultural. From Vardavar to the Pomegranate Festival — anything worth timing your trip around.
New Year
Armenia's most homely, generous holiday: a table left set for days, gata and dried fruit, visits to relatives and long toasts at midnight.
Amanor & Kaghand — Armenian New Year
The most homely and generous feast of the year: tables loaded to the edges, dried fruit and gata, kindly Kaghand Pap with his seven wishes instead of gifts, and lights that stay on in the windows until mid-January.
Surb Tsnund — Nativity and Theophany
The Armenian Church celebrates the Nativity and Baptism of Christ on a single day, January 6. It is an ancient tradition kept from the early church, marked by a solemn liturgy and the blessing of water.
Donor's Day
On January 8 Armenia marks Donor's Day, a day of thanks to those who give blood and save the lives of strangers, and to everyone who works in the blood service.
Old New Year (Hin Tari)
The cozy finale of the long holidays: on January 14 Armenians mark the New Year by the old Julian calendar — with a quiet family table, songs and toasts, before the tree finally comes down.
All the way to Meghri
Five days along the Arax River through all of Syunik to Meghri — the southernmost point of Armenia. Pomegranate gardens, monasteries, hot springs.
Army Day
On 28 January Armenia marks the founding of its national armed forces — a day of remembrance, ceremony and family respect for those who served and serve.
Diplomatic Worker's Day
On March 2 Armenia honours its diplomats. The date is no accident: on this very day in 1992 the Republic of Armenia was admitted to the United Nations.
Meteorologist's Day
On March 23 Armenia marks Meteorologist's Day, the holiday of those who watch the fickle mountain weather, where a single valley can hold three seasons at once.
Day of Motherhood and Beauty
On 7 April Armenia honours women as mothers and keepers of the home — a day of flowers, warm words and family attention to women of every generation.
Police Day
On April 16 Armenia marks Police Day, the holiday of those who keep order on the streets of its cities and the country's mountain roads.
Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
24 April is a day of national mourning: millions worldwide remember the victims of the 1915 genocide, while in Yerevan an unbroken stream of people climbs to the Tsitsernakaberd memorial.
Border Guard's Day
On April 26 Armenia honours its border guards, those who serve on the country's mountain frontiers, among peaks, gorges and snowy passes.
Labour Day
1 May is a festival of spring and labour: a day off Armenians spend in nature, with khorovats and family outings into the countryside under the first warmth.
Victory and Peace Day
On 9 May Armenia joins three dates of memory: victory in the Second World War, the liberation of Shushi and the proclamation of the Republic of Artsakh. A day of remembrance, flowers and gratitude to veterans.
Sevan and Dilijan — mountains, lake, trout
Sevanavank on the peninsula, a lakeside lunch with ishkhan trout, then forested Dilijan, Goshavank and the old part of town.
First Republic Day
On 28 May Armenia recalls the birth of the First Republic in 1918 — a short but decisive attempt to build an independent state after centuries without one.
Ecologist's Day
On June 5 Armenia marks Ecologist's Day, the holiday of those who protect the mountain forests, rivers and Lake Sevan, the heart and chief reservoir of the country.
Medical Workers' Day
On June 21 Armenia honours doctors, nurses and paramedics, those who keep night shifts and travel with mountain teams to the most remote villages.
Builders' and Geodesists' Day
On June 30 Armenia thanks those who raise houses of pink tuff, carve mountain roads and survey the land: builders and geodesists.
Constitution Day
On 5 July Armenia marks the adoption of the first constitution of the independent republic in 1995 — the day that laid the legal foundation of the modern state.
Navasard — Ancient Armenian New Year
Armenia's oldest New Year, on August 11: the memory of forefather Hayk's victory over the tyrant Bel, week-long folk games, horse races and contests, today revived at the pagan temple of Garni.
Garni and Geghard — sun temple and cave monastery
The pagan temple of Garni, the Garni gorge with its basalt «Symphony of Stones», and Geghard — a 4th-century monastery carved into the rock. Lunch with lavash baking in a tonir.
Rescuer's Day
On September 4 Armenia honours its rescuers, the people who respond to fires, earthquakes and mountain emergencies. The day was established in memory of the Spitak tragedy and of those who arrive first.
Civil Aviation Day
On September 30 Armenia honours its aviators, the pilots, controllers and engineers who connect a mountain country to the world and to its vast diaspora.
Armenian Press Day
On October 16 Armenia marks Press Day, a holiday of journalists and editors, heirs to a tradition that began with the first printed Armenian word more than four centuries ago.
Librarian's Day
On November 7 Armenia honours its librarians, keepers of the written word in a country where the manuscript was the chief national treasure for centuries.
Harvest Festival in Yeghegnadzor
An autumn harvest celebration in the capital of Vayots Dzor: fruit, vegetables, honey and homemade jams from across the region on one generous square.
Beer Festival
Yerevan's open-air beer festival: local industrial and craft brews, snacks, music and long summer evenings in the city.
Pumpkin Festival
An autumn pumpkin celebration in the Tavush village of Hovk: carved lanterns, pumpkin cooking and village music draw guests among the wooded hills.
Cheese Festival
A celebration of cheese in Lori's Tashir — part of the region's series of food festivals. Local cheesemakers lay out dozens of kinds, from fresh curd to aged wheels.
HayBuys — Herb & Flower Festival
A celebration of wild herbs and mountain flowers at the Apaga resort near Yenokavan. In late June, Tavush's slopes reveal their edible and healing flora.
Spirit of Armenia — Drinks Festival
A pan-Armenian showcase of wine, brandy and beer in Yerevan's English Park. Dozens of producers, tastings and live music bring the city together in early May.
Khndzoresk — the cave town
Old Khndzoresk — a two-hundred-year-old cave town in a gypsum gorge. A suspension bridge over the chasm, a descent to the cave dwellings, the Surb Tadevos church.
Where to go for the holidays
When you plan around an event — check the forecast so you don't end up in a downpour on festival day.
Goris
Stone houses, gateway to the south
Tatev
9th-century monastery and cableway
Kapan
Marz centre, copper mountains
Sevan
High-altitude lake, 1900 m
Dilijan
Forested Armenia and the old town
Jermuk
Mineral springs and spas
On a tour you also often need other services
We have other partner categories too — requests work the same. We forward them to several partners with availability at once.
Where to stay in mountains and cities
Family guesthouses, boutique hotels, glamping, cave suites. Across Armenia.
From airport or between regions
Fixed price, no meter. Econom, comfort, minivan or premium.
A car for a self-drive trip
SUV for Syunik mountains, sedan for highways, minivan for groups. Full tank, insurance.