Move Over St. Valentine

2026-02-23 - 11:24

Listen to the AI generated audio article. Your browser does not support the audio element. “Don’t miss our Valentine’s discounts!” The third store texted me in a single week. My Instagram followed suit with promises of amazing surprises, roses, gift boxes, candlelit dinners for two. By mid-February, walking down the streets of Yerevan, one could feel that love was definitely in the air. Heart-shaped balloons in café windows, bouquets stacked at every corner, couples rehearsing romance. Valentine’s Day has settled comfortably into Armenia’s urban calendar, imported with pop culture and marketing. February 14 is now circled, budgeted and Instagrammed. And yet, just days earlier, another patron of lovers quietly passed by. St. Sargis, the Armenian Church’s own saint of love, arrived 63 days before Easter, mostly unnoticed. Why is a global holiday celebrated with more excitement in Armenia than a local one? It may not be that Armenians know more about the origins of St. Valentine’s Day; most people, whether in Armenia or abroad, are unfamiliar with its history. Rather, Valentine’s has become ubiquitous. Its rituals are everywhere, amplified by global media, advertising and social norms. St. Sargis, by contrast, feels far less visible in public life. That realization struck me when I struggled to explain to a friend who St. Sargis was. Yet his story is no less compelling than that of his Western counterpart. The two saints share striking parallels, even as each remains distinct. In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia published “Saint Sargis”, a collection of research papers for a conference dedicated to the saint. It brings together historical accounts and scholarship that explain his cultural significance. St. Sargis was a fourth-century Cappadocian Greek general and a devout Christian. When Julian the Apostate became emperor of the Byzantine Empire and began persecuting Christians, Sargis chose exile rather than renounce his faith and fled to Armenia with his son, Martiros. However, the Armenian King Tiran, wary of provoking war with Julian, advised Sargis to leave Armenia and go to Persia. The Persian King Shapuh, already informed of Sargis’ bravery, received him with honor and appointed him among his military leaders. Sargis gained renown as a brave warrior. However, when Shapuh later learned that Sargis was not only a Christian but actively spreading Christianity among the Persian army and refusing to convert to Zoroastrianism, the king executed him and his son Martiros, along with 14 of his soldiers (or 40 depending on the source). During his lifetime, Sargis helped the poor, the sick and newly married couples. His soldiers remembered him as a great leader. After his death, Armenians began praying to him and building churches in his name. Over time, he became one of the most beloved saints of the Armenian Church, with around 220 churches and sanctuaries named after him. Beyond his historical biography, however, St. Sargis is more widely known as a legend. Numerous myths portray him as helping lovers unite and saving the young and vulnerable. One of his most well-known appearances is in the Armenian epic “Daredevils of Sassoun,” where Davit seeks St. Sargis’ blessing before going into battle. Another legend says that St. Sargis walked from village to village with his dog, driving winter away. People believed he could control the harsh winter storms and winds. In fact, Georgians even named the February wind blowing from Armenia “Sargis.” This detail is interesting, as his feast falls in February, just as winter begins to fade. Even more intriguing is the suggestion of considering him the ancient pagan Armenian wind deity disguised under the name of a Christian saint. Like many Armenian Apostolic Church holidays, Christianized versions of earlier pagan festivals such as Vardavar and Trndez, St. Sargis Day appears to have earlier roots. Its pagan character is not originally connected to lovers, but to the end of winter and the awakening of nature in spring. Armenians once venerated a god-like figure associated with this transition. In his research, 20th-century historian Grigor Ghapantsyan suggests that St. Sargis may be the Christian transformation of Ara the Beautiful, the legendary Armenian king who symbolized resurrection and the rebirth of spring. The parallels are reinforced by the depiction of Sargis traveling with his loyal dog, guiding him along his path. In Armenian mythology, Ara the Beautiful is killed in battle by the Assyrian Queen Shamiram, who then seeks to bring him back to life. She turns to the aralezes—winged, dog-like spirits in Armenian mythology believed to descend upon fallen heroes, lick their wounds, and bring them back to life. Over time, the pagan holiday gradually transformed into a Christian feast, though some of its customs resist easy classification as purely one or the other. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the celebration had increasingly adopted themes of love, along with a number of curious rituals. At one point, it was even once known as “Salty Cookie Day.” One of the traditions that continues to define the holiday is the ritual of eating salty cookies, usually observed by unmarried girls on the eve of St. Sargis Day. In some regions, scholars note, only widowed women were allowed to bake the cookies, though the custom varied from region to region. Before going to sleep, the girls would eat the cookie and were not allowed to drink water. During the night, St. Sargis would send them a vision of their future husbands. In the dream, the future husband would appear and offer them water. But the ritual did not end there. There was an entire layer of fortune-telling connected to the details, including the cup. If the water was offered in a golden cup, it meant the future husband would be rich; a silver cup suggested a middle-class life; a wooden cup indicated a poorer one. Even the amount of water carried meaning. A full cup meant they would spend their entire lives together; a half-filled cup meant only half of their lives; and an almost empty cup signaled a very short life side by side. Young men and women would place a piece of bread on the roof and wait for the birds to take it. The direction the bird flew with the bread was believed to reveal where their future spouse would come from. If the birds ate the bread on the roof instead, it meant they would remain unmarried. The feast wasn’t only for celebration, in fact, many restrictions were imposed on young people during this period. They were not allowed to do laundry, use soap, shower, wash their hair, or have any contact with hair and wool. Washing one’s hair was believed to cause it to fall out. Yet, in some regions, people would cut their hair and offer it to St. Sargis, believing he would take away their pain along with it. Young people followed various rituals, from eating salty cookies to fasting, hoping to meet their destined partners in dreams and later in real life. Other family members looked forward to seeing the trace of a horseshoe in traditional Armenian flour made from roasted wheat (pokhindz). Legend says that St. Sargis and his Greek bride ride his white horse on the eve of his holiday, checking the pokhindz left outside homes. If his horse leaves a trace, it signals good fortune, a sign that St. Sargis has blessed the family. The pokhindz ritual connects to pagan mythology, where it was associated with wind and power. Another theory suggests that during one of his battles, pokhindz was the only food Sargis had, and helped him survive. St. Sargis was not only the protector of lovers but also of children and newborns. Many prayers are dedicated to him, asking for the safety of children and relief from pain and illness. On that day, parents and elders would place gifts in children’s socks hanging from the garret window. Another tradition for children was the baking of bagharj—a pastry prepared in two layers and filled with different items such as a piece of fruit, cheese and a coin. After it was cut, children would find the hidden objects in their slices. Each item was believed to predict what they would inherit. Finding money meant wealth, cheese symbolized livestock, and fruit represented a garden. St. Sargis Day is not only about predicting one’s future love, but also carries a rich cultural heritage. The holiday is surrounded by fascinating legends and rituals practiced across generations. The celebration declined significantly during the Soviet era but regained popularity after independence. Today, some observe St. Sargis only through the ritual of salty cookies, while many are more drawn to the romance of Valentine’s Day. Yet St. Sargis carries a history layered with myth, faith and seasonal rebirth, from the story of Ara the Beautiful to centuries of Christian devotion. It is a celebration shaped by memory and reinvention. So as chocolates are exchanged and roses change hands, remember that Armenia has its own patron of love, one whose story is still waiting to be fully rediscovered. Comment Cover photo by Roubina Margossian. LIFESTYLE Transitions February’s SALT issue explores the quiet and defiant shifts reshaping Armenian society, from gendered double standards around smoking and young women living independently, to reclaiming St. Sargis in the age of Valentine’s Day. With a profile featuring Armenian-American writer and illustrator Nonny Hogrogian and a photo story about women footballers breaking barriers, this issue is all about transitions.