According to the ancient Armenian calendar, August 11 was a first day of the New Year. So it means the New Year. Everyone celebrated that day started from the royal family till the local peasants.
The Ethnographers claim that the ancient Armenians celebrated that day with dances, songs, traditional amusements. This festival was dedicated to the seven pagan Gods. The legend says that on this day the Gods came down to the Earth and swam in the holy river of Aratsani and then watched the celebration from the top of snowy mountains. The people would please the Gods by sacrificing wheat grains, the blood of domestic animals and other rituals.
Besides that, on August 11 is considered to be the day when Noah’s Ark landed on Ararat. Once this holiday was a nationwide festival, but after changing the calendars Armenians stopped to celebrate this holiday.
