a candle burning at midnight, lit on the eve of Easter
ქრისტე აღსდგა! Christ is risen!
ჭეშმარიტად აღსდგა
Easter is the most important date of the Christian Calendar.
I started the day attending a service of the Tbilisi International Christian Fellowship held at the Holiday Inn in Saburtalo, Tbilisi. The congregation comprised of many nationalities including 29 Koreans, Russians, Chinese, Georgians, Dutch, South African, German, Azeri, Indian and Brazilian.
Holiday inn, Saburtalo, Tbilisi
Part of the service included a living tableau. DaVinci’s painting of the Last Supper was recreated by thirteen men from the cosmopolitan congregation.
Living Tableau of the Last Supper inspired by Da Vinci’s painting
The disciples, having learnt one would betray the master from among them, address the congregation,each in turn, asking if they are to be the traitor.
“Is it I? Is it I?”
Peter speaks while Judas Iscariot awaits his turn.
After the service I met with my wife, her sister and her brother-in-law and we went to visit the grave of her father and uncle.It is an Easter tradition in Georgia to visit the graves on Easter day or Easter Monday.
At the graveside a few words are said some wine is drunk and red eggs are left on the grave and wine is spilt on the grave, so the dead are remembered as part of the celebration.
red eggs and red wine left on the grave
After, we leave the graves for a big Easter “Supra” (feast) with Khato’s cousins.
Easter “Supra”
Easter ends the long Lenten fast, my wife observed the fast following a vegan diet for the forty days before Easter. In the last week she also omitted any oil from her diet and on Good Friday (here Red Friday) she had just bread and water. I followed the Georgian fasts in my first year but have since been less strict about what I eat.
Khato with the eggs she has dyed.
It is the practise here to dye eggs red on Good “Red” Friday, to be eaten on Easter Day with special Easter cake.
Easter Cake and Red Wine
I notice one of the blogs I follow, covered the Pope’s Easter Message, this Pope has a pertinent message in these troubled times.
I was given a book at the TICF service, looks interesting.
