Western Armenia would like to welcome the festival of Holi (festival of colors) celebrated in India on March 8, marking the arrival of spring. This celebration is reminiscent of the spring coinciding with the New Year which is also celebrated in Western Armenia on March 21 of each year. The Armenian tradition, which dates back more than 13,564 years and whose symbol is the Light, corresponds to the spring equinox.

If it is an ancient tradition for Indians to gather to light a large fire and organize celebrations around a festival of colors, it is also the tradition for Armenians of Western Armenia to light a fire one month before the arrival of spring to prepare the bride-to-be for her purification and motherhood.

This tradition, common to both Indian and Armenian nations, celebrating love and fertility, has been preserved over time and attests to their indigenousness and their desire to preserve their roots and traditional knowledge. 

In this perspective, Western Armenia would like to recall the fundamental role of the negotiations taking place at the World Intellectual Property Organization in the preservation of genetic resources, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions as well as folklore, in which its delegation is participating.

We wish India all the best for Holi!

Yerevan, March 8, 2023

Lydia Margossian

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Western Armenia