Georgia celebrates Orthodox Easter

Orthodox Christians in Georgia and worldwide are celebrating today the most important Christian holiday - Easter - the resurrection of the martyred Christ.

Celebrating the victory of life over death, the Georgian believers gathered to join the holy liturgy service last night in churches across the country.

The Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II attended the liturgy at the Sioni Cathedral in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi and his annual Easter epistle was introduced by Archdeacon Demetre Davitashvili to the congregation gathered in the Cathedral.

In his epistle, his Holiness spoke about the “unfortunate” tension among the people, brought by the political processes and called on everyone to “heal spiritual wounds and eliminate faults, so that we and the environment around us can return to the divine heart - return to mutual love”.

Despite the conflict and difficult situation in the country, we should be united by the love of the motherland and despite our different opinions, we should be able to coexist peacefully. [...] Let's unite in Christ and together ask him for prosperity and peace for Georgia, Ukraine, the Middle East and the whole world”, the Catholicos Patriarch said.

Parishioners who attended the church liturgy received the Holy Fire brought from Jerusalem to Georgia by a charter flight last night.

The Holy Fire ignited in the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem earlier on Great Saturday in the presence of thousands of Christian pilgrims on the eve of Easter. The miracle symbolises the resurrection of Christ and dates back to the 4th century A.D.

At Easter festivities, boiled eggs are dyed red to symbolise the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross for the redemption of all men. Traditionally, Georgians also visit the graves of their loved ones the day after the Orthodox Easter, bringing the Easter eggs and wine to the place in commemoration.

Learn more about the Georgian Eastern traditions here.