How We Celebrated the Spring Equinox
- 2026-04-10
On March 28, members and friends of the Carahunge Armenological Center visited Hasmik Baghramyan’s “Tonatsuyts” guesthouse in Byurakan to celebrate, albeit with a slight delay, the spring equinox—the victory of the Sun—as well as the feast of Tsarazardar / Tsaghkazard (Palm Sunday).
We set out in the morning and, before reaching Byurakan, made a stop in Agharak to connect with the storks, as this is the most favorable time of year to do so—the season of Bird Arrival. We stood before their nests and began singing traditional Armenian songs for them. Then something remarkable happened. The storks responded to our singing, joining us and soaring above our heads. That moment turned into a unique and living dialogue between humans and nature.
After this impressive encounter, we also visited the ancient site of Tukh Manuk in Agharak, where, for a moment, we once again felt the breath of the earth and time.
Our next stop was a field of galanthus, where we performed another special ritual. We spoke to the flowers, and then each of us picked a galanthus and touched it to our eyes, with the intention that our sight remain bright throughout the year and that we always see beauty.
Finally, we arrived at the “Tonatsuyts” guesthouse and, as it was the feast of Tsaghkazard, we established our center’s Tree of Life and decorated it together. Afterwards, we sat down at a table filled with dishes prepared according to ancient—even pre-Christian—recipes, in harmony with the spirit of the holiday. We tasted, among others, sour makhokh, bean soup, wild sorrel soup, chickpea koftas, malted grain (hatik atsik), rice pilaf with lettuce and mushrooms, and fasting halva.
As always, we had engaging conversations, sang songs dedicated to the Bird Arrival, and performed traditional shoror dances—krngotsi.
In the evening, we returned to Yerevan filled with the impressions of the day, with warmth and a special inner joy that stays with a person for a long time—reminding us how important it is, at times, to step away from everyday haste and return to our roots.
We set out in the morning and, before reaching Byurakan, made a stop in Agharak to connect with the storks, as this is the most favorable time of year to do so—the season of Bird Arrival. We stood before their nests and began singing traditional Armenian songs for them. Then something remarkable happened. The storks responded to our singing, joining us and soaring above our heads. That moment turned into a unique and living dialogue between humans and nature.
After this impressive encounter, we also visited the ancient site of Tukh Manuk in Agharak, where, for a moment, we once again felt the breath of the earth and time.
Our next stop was a field of galanthus, where we performed another special ritual. We spoke to the flowers, and then each of us picked a galanthus and touched it to our eyes, with the intention that our sight remain bright throughout the year and that we always see beauty.
Finally, we arrived at the “Tonatsuyts” guesthouse and, as it was the feast of Tsaghkazard, we established our center’s Tree of Life and decorated it together. Afterwards, we sat down at a table filled with dishes prepared according to ancient—even pre-Christian—recipes, in harmony with the spirit of the holiday. We tasted, among others, sour makhokh, bean soup, wild sorrel soup, chickpea koftas, malted grain (hatik atsik), rice pilaf with lettuce and mushrooms, and fasting halva.
As always, we had engaging conversations, sang songs dedicated to the Bird Arrival, and performed traditional shoror dances—krngotsi.
In the evening, we returned to Yerevan filled with the impressions of the day, with warmth and a special inner joy that stays with a person for a long time—reminding us how important it is, at times, to step away from everyday haste and return to our roots.
