Every nation has its way of celebrating Easter, but did you know there is a tradition where families dine at cemeteries on Easter? This article is about the practice of dining in cemeteries in the eastern European country of Georgia. Learn this tradition’s rituals, origins, and how it is preserved to the present day.
Dining at graves in Georgia
You will observe one of Georgia’s most peculiar traditions on Easter Sunday or Monday. Families will visit the graves of their departed loved ones. Often, the tradition is accompanied by a few rituals:
1. The family begins by lighting a candle and rolling eggs dyed red with madder root or onion skin to represent Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection — across the burial plots. Next, they will proclaim: “Christ is risen! He has indeed risen!” The ritual is conducted three times.
2. A supra occurs after lighting a candle and rolling the egg. In Georgia, a supra is a feast. Families will bring a table to the cemetery along with food and wine. They will eat meat and slices of paska, a traditional sweet Easter bread, and some families will bring chacha, a Georgian pomace brandy, and some glasses.
3. The alcoholic drink is consumed as they make a toast dedicated to the departed. Sometimes, the families having a feast may leave some food behind. The food is meant for the deceased relatives.
4. When the supra is completed, a last ceremony is performed on the grave. This ritual, known as “Knocking over a goblet” in Georgia, involves pouring wine over the tomb. To the Georgians, knocking over a cup symbolizes that they will not be alone after death because their relatives will be with them.
5. Sometimes, Georgians place newly-sprouted wheat aside from the dyed eggs on the graves to symbolize the life cycle, where there is victory over death and a new life begins.
Origins of the Georgian graveyard feasts on Easter
The sources of visiting deceased relatives and conducting dinners on their graves during Easter have their roots in the time Georgia was under Soviet Union rule. From 1921 up to 1991, practicing religion was suppressed by the Communist regime. Churches were destroyed or shut down, and religious services were forbidden by law.
As more churches got shuttered by the Communist regime, a new tradition started to be practiced by the people. Instead of going to churches, people found themselves praying in graveyards. In a way, people found an alternative method to be close to God. It is unknown what year the Easter graveyard feasts started, but their origin came from prayers when religion was actively suppressed.
How did the Georgian Easter tradition survive over the years?
As stated earlier, it is not known what year the tradition of the Easter graveyard feasts in Georgia started. However, how it managed to survive to the present day is known through the women of Georgia.
According to the published paper Women and the Georgian Orthodox Church by Ketevan Gurchiani, it moved out church traditions and let them enter the domestic sphere. Moreover, it empowered the women of Georgia even more if the said traditions involved death and the afterlife.
The women of Georgia, during the time of the Soviet Union, were effectively the bastions of faith as they were the only practitioners. Beyond that, women are historically responsible for preparing meals marking milestones of a loved one’s death — from the wake up to the death anniversary.
The combination of their prayers during an era of religious persecution and traditions toward death gave way to these Easter Monday feasts that have survived into the present day.
A tradition rooted in faith and love
Despite being a peculiar Easter tradition, these feasts and gatherings in graveyards in Georgia during Easter hold a deeper meaning. The ceremony itself has its roots in both faith and love.
Faith, as these prayers became gatherings to connect with God, especially during a difficult time. Love, as these gatherings are a means to remember the departed, to celebrate their life, and that they are forever in their loved one’s hearts.
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