Armenian national dolls

Ritual dolls summarize the thinking of the people. People endowed ritual dolls with magical power that fights against evil and brings luck. These dolls were an important part of traditional Armenian holiday rituals, each with its own history. Women usually made Armenian national dolls. They used a variety of materials, such as wood, threads, clay, metal, leather, fur, hair, dough.

Nuri or the bride of the rain

The Nuri doll was considered a symbol of Palm Sunday. This doll was also considered the bride of the rain. People were asking her for rain during drought.

When people suffer from the lack of water, and the soil dries out and cracks, Nuri begins to cry. The soil becomes wet from her tears, and the fields come to life again.

It was necessary to make Nuri with long hair and big almond-shaped eyes. The tears from those big eyes brought nature to life.

Nuri’s shirt has embroidered illustrations and the belt is woven from threads with seven colors of the rainbow. In the old days, the Nuri doll was made of broom or wood in different provinces. On the head of Nuri there was always a wreath decorated with flowers.

During Palm Sunday, Nuri danced and sang in the hands of little girls. They carried it from house to house, and people sprayed water on Nuri from their doors and windows. The older women in the house gave the girls different foods: one gave eggs; the other gave bread or cheese. Girls were collecting foods from different houses and arranging a feast for themselves. If suddenly it rained, the children rejoiced that Nuri heard their prayers and gave them rain.

Vichaki Arus

The Vichaki Arus doll was a symbol of Ascension Day. Before the feast of the Ascension, the girls took a special clay jug and filled it with seven handfuls of water from seven springs, seven petals from seven flowers, seven stones from seven running waters. All this together was called Vichak. Single girls threw their jewelry into this jug, with the help of which they would do fortune telling the next day. The last step was to place the Vichaki Arus doll on top of the jug. The jug had to be left overnight under the moonlight. With the help of this jug, people did fortune telling the next morning.

The girls went to the mountains in groups and collected various flowers. Then they made wreaths from these flowers and gave them to the participants of the Ascension Day holiday.

During the Ascension ceremony, many beautiful phenomena were praised, such as stars, sky, nature, and especially love. During the holiday, people also made an Arus doll and cooked milk rice porridge. Fields were sprayed with it as a sacrifice for an abundant year. To make a Vichaki Arus doll the girls used crossed-shaped stick, put dresses on it, put a special attachment on their head and drew eyes and mouth on it. The doll had a special forehead jewelry and many other pieces of jewelry.

Asilik Vasilik

There were also dolls made from a special dough. They were called Asilik Vasilik. These dolls were mainly baked on New Year’s Eve for fortune telling. Depending on whom the fortune telling was done for, the dolls could have different shapes. It could be dolls in the shape of a person, animal or wallet. An egg was spread on the dough. The dough was decorated with raisins and nuts, and then baked.

If the dough swelled during baking, it was a sign of good luck. If the dough shrank, it meant a bad luck for the family. If there was a new bride in the house, and the stomach of the cookie swelled during baking, it meant that the bride would have a child in the coming year. If the Asilik Vasilik in the shape of a wallet swelled, then the year would be rich. Asiliks were female dolls, and Vasiliks were men. Male dolls had to have a pronounced belt.

Grandma Utis and Grandpa Pas

Grandma Utis and Grandpa Pas are symbols of the Barekendan holiday. These two characters were in constant fight. Grandma Utis was a plump and red-cheeked doll who always had a ladle in her hands. Grandpa Pas was a skinny doll with a stick in his hands, with which he always scolded Grandma Utis. Grandma Utis prepared delicious, fatty meals for the children to eat and to strengthen their bodies.

Barekendan is a holiday during which people could eat and have fun as much as they want. Consequently, Barekendan was considered the holiday of Grandma Utis or female power. At the end of the holiday, people would chase away Grandma Utis and greet Grandpa Pas. Towards the end of the celebration, people rolled Grandma Utis down the mountain.

Aklatiz

Grandpa Pas was also popular by name Aklatiz and was in houses of many Armenians. The oldest woman at home made this doll secretly. Aklatiz was mainly from wood or straw. It was a doll in the form of a strict old man. People attached onions or potatoes to the legs of Aklatiz. The onion was a symbol of rebirth and resurrection. On the last day of fasting, people made soup from this onion, in which there were only onions and water. This was the last meal of Lent.

Seven feathers were attached to the dolls. These feathers symbolized the 7 weeks of Lent. Three feathers were usually white, one was black and white, and the other three – black. White feathers symbolized weeks of fasting, when the ground was covered with snow. Three black feathers symbolized the period when the snow was melting and the black groud was already visible. With each passing week, one feather has been removed.

These dolls also served as Lenten calendars. By the remaining feathers, people determined how much was left until the end of the Lent. People would hang stones to the hands of Aklatuz and place it near the roof to intimidate children. If they break Lent, Aklatiz will hit them with a stone, and the hot pepper hanging from his neck will burn their mouths.

Aklatiz was a skinny old man and symbolized masculine strength. In different regions, Aklatiz had different names: Akhloch, Akhatsel, Akheluts, Gogoroz, Khukhulich, Khuluchik, Mormoroz, Mrmras, Metspas, Frik, Vorojbek and so on.

In Armenia, many other dolls were forgotten over time. Many dolls listed above no longer exist. When traditions and rituals disappear, the dolls that symbolize them disappear as well. However, their rare use in everyday life does not prevent them from being one of the most beautiful cultural elements of the country.

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