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What kind of traditions do you keep at Easter?

Friday, April 17
“I love Easter very much, I have a completely different and exciting mood on this day. Every year my sister and I paint eggs. When mother dyes the eggs red we paint different ornamentation on them and finally we have very beautiful and nice eggs. It is hard to break them and eat them.”
Mariam, painter, 25

“This is the day when all the family gathers and celebrates Easter together. My grandchildren come and we celebrate at home. I want to congratulate all of you on this great feast and hope that Georgia will revive and good times will come for our country.”
Dali, housewife, 57

“Easter is a great day, there are several feasts for the Orthodox but Easter is the greatest of all. We friends always greet it in church and break red eggs together, congratulating each other that Christ has risen!”
Saba, footballer, 26

“Traditionally my family and I stay overnight in church attending the service. On the Monday we visit the graves of our relatives (sometimes we visit the graves even on Sundays, it depends on the arrangements). In the second half of the day we gather in my house or in another relative’s and celebrate the feast.”
Ia, tour operator, 22

“This Easter will be different as I am loaded down with many things and cannot go to the region I am from - Guria. So this time I cannot celebrate Easter with my family. I will visit my relatives who are living here in Tbilisi (they are already thrilled at hearing that as I have never been to their homes during Easter!) and attend the service at church as usual, but this time in Tbilisi, with my relatives.”
Zura, student, 20

“Traditionally all the family go to our village, where my grandparents live. My mother and grandmother paint the eggs red. Then mother bakes Pascha and pie for the Easter Day. On Sunday our grandparents also kill a sheep and we all celebrate together.”
Nino, student, 19

“Easter is one of the greatest occasions for every Orthodox person. Easter is my favourite Church feast. My family and I stay overnight in the church and on Sunday wish the parish a happy Easter. Then all the members of our family gather and celebrate Easter. On Monday we visit our relatives’ graves.”
Cismari, teacher, 50

“I usually celebrate the holiday with my family. This Easter will be very different for me because I was married two months ago, so I will celebrate it with my husband. I am afraid I will have to paint eggs and buy Easter cakes. That was the duty of my mother and I did not care about it then but now everything is different.”
Ana, student, 19

”For Easter we usually grow wheat on a plate and put coloured eggs on it, it is very beautiful and it gives everyone a very special Easter mood.”
Maka, accountant 23

“We go to church in the morning with the whole family, then come back in the afternoon to have a special dinner. I think this is the way most Georgians greet Easter.”
Zaal, IT specialist, 25