Ancient Armenian Holiday – Zatik – Birthday of the Sun God

5,000 years ago, the Sumerians considered the sunrise (the rise of the god of the Sun) on the day of the vernal equinox a special event and called it “zidig” / “zitik” / “zedik” / “zetik.”

Only on this day, the Sun (the Sun deity) rose above the two-headed Masis (in Sumerian, “mas” meant “pair”). In Sumerian, the word “zidig” / “zitik” / “zedik” / “zetik” meant “true sunrise” or “legitimate sunrise”, which reflects its essence. The day of the equinox is the only day in the year when the sun rises exactly in the east.

The Armenian word “zidig” / “zadeg” / “zatik” has the same meaning and has been used in the Armenian national religious system as the day of equinox in honor of the birth of the Sun deity Vahe.

The authors of the Old Testament adapted this sunny holiday widespread in the ancient world to the supposed Jewish exodus from Egypt. Christianity identified the holiday with the resurrection of Christ.

As a result, entering an alien environment, the holiday changed its meaning, was distorted, and now has movable dates. And in this form, it returned to Armenia together with Christianity, drowning the thousand-year history of the true national holiday in oblivion.

Born out of the depths of the mighty Sun god, it became identified with God who rose from the world of the dead. The holiday of the Sun deity was forgotten, but thanks to Mesrop Mashtots, its name was preserved in the national consciousness and language. In the translation of the Bible, he used the Armenian name “zatik” instead of the word “pasek.”

Nana Herouni