Easter in Tbilisi: a night of light, faith, and tradition
ita engAs midnight arrived in Tbilisi, Easter awoke in a glow of candles and prayer. This year, for a change, Georgian Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic Easter occurred on the same day, April 20, just as it did elsewhere in the world. Text and Photographs by Onnik James Krikorian
Hundreds gathered at Tbilisi's Sameba Cathedral, including some local ethnic Armenians. Their nearby church in the Avlabari district was closed until the morning.
There were even Jordanian students at the midnight vigil, along with one of their mothers who was visiting her son attending medical university in the city.
The metro, usually closed at midnight, remained open until 4 a.m. to accommodate worshippers travel across the city. Transport was free and would remain so for some part of Easter Sunday itself. Candles were lit, symbolising resurrection, with many taking them home, carefully shielding them from the gush of the wind accompanying the metro trains as they arrived and departed.
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