18/03/2021
Did you know that "Salt" is a major element in the Armenian mythology, cultural tradition ...heritage, and even the religion of our ancestors?
The Armenian ancestors until adopting Christianity in 301 A.D. practiced Paganism, Worship of the Sun, many elements of nature and several Gods and Goddesses including their ancestors etc. One of the Goddesses however "Anahit" / "Anahid", who is refered to as the "Mother Goddess" or the "Golden Goddess" among many other very symbolic names, had a specific "rare" and "Sacred" offering on the list of items offered to her Temples by the pilgrims, that element was "Salt", not only because it was rare but because it was also spread in the very rich cultural heritage, the traditions, and beliefs that had to do with their daily life and the rules which they lived by in their households. For example: the ancient Armenians were known to have included a "Salt pouch" in the "Dowry" of their daughters, the bride brought a salt pouch full of salt into her husbands' house and it symbolized the blessings etc... everything related to the Mother Goddess/Anahid, and they believed that it would grant fertility among other things, and a pleasant "spice - up" in the relationship between the members of the husbands' household and the new bride joining their family...etc... in other words, the ancient Armenians also worshiped the "Salt" because in their beliefs/traditions it symbolized their Mother Goddess/Anahid/Anahit and every one of the religious beliefs that they believed to be related to her...
Every household used to have a special Salt jar in their pantry, and salt was added to all the jars full of grains, cheese etc... the purpose was to protect first, and spice second... many rituals have songs related to the several traditions about the certain customs and salt is mentioned in them...
In the modern times, and our practiced cultural traditions, Salt is still a very important element, although (symbolic) many of us use it in a specific tradition without knowing its ancient / pagan origins and its meaning which is very specific to the ethnic Armenian traditions. For example: when we have important, and or formal greeting events where we should specify a heart felt "welcome" , the guest is greeted with wine, bread and Salt on a tray ( nowadays, especially when greeting formal guests at the airports, the officials are greeted with kids in the ethnic Armenian traditional costumes, and a tray of bread and salt, the guests are offered to cut and eat a piece of the bread which they dip in the salt, it is a symbolic gesture to tell the guests that they are welcome and that the hosts are sharing the most valuable/sacred food with them, their bread and salt ...), and the guests accept the offered bread and salt, this symbolic gesture means that they are accepting to share our bread and salt with us, thus becoming "friends" and dear people to us, who should not cheat nor betray.... In the past this was a very important tradition and people were held by their gestures, offering bread and salt symbolized offering peace, and accepting the bread and salt symbolized sharing the same idea of "peace" and respect to the values and the meaning of the bread and salt of the party offering it. Or, when a grooms' family went to the brides' house they were greeted with wine, bread and salt, to symbolize the upcoming "unity" of the families, one expressed "good will" and "welcome" and the other accepted the "good will" and the "Hospitality", thus turning the two parties into one, eventually throughout the centuries, this beautiful gesture became a symbolic ritual that we engage in while many of us do not know the depth nor the meaning of the tradition.
Another revelation to many of you many be the meaning of the word "Madagh" in Armenian. Most of us have seen it and done it, especially those among us who have lived in Armenia and the diaspora ( especially the Middle East ) after the infamous 1915 Armenian Genocide. But have you ever wondered why we do it, and what does this word mean? According to the 5th century Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi and others, this is a complex word and that it is composed of two words "Madoutsel" ( meaning offer ) + Agh ( meaning Salt ) = Madagh.
Madagh is an offering to the church ( our mainstream religion is Apostolic Christianity ) or the other houses of worship, and / or a specific recipient for a specific reason, people wish for things to happen in their lives and they ( in their minds ) make a pledge to offer a specific thing of value to them which may very well be a sacrifice on their side .... it may vary from giving up on the thing in their mind, or do charity, and after the prayers and asking the lord ( in the ancient days ...the temples and Gods... ) to grant their wish, when/ if the wish is granted, they would do the "Madagh" ( the offering ).... as a gesture of gratitude to the Lord / Gods...etc...
Unfortunately, this video does not provide English captions, but it is so colorful and the presented items are so self expressive that you will not have difficulty understanding the whole of it.
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