Easter (Orthodox) Saturday midnight

They have waited for the news that the light has miraculously been lit in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and, when the news comes, they process around the church three times carrying the cross. Here they are at the little church in the little park in Borjomi.



The light is distributed throughout the Orthodox world. As I understand it, it is flown in an airplane to Tbilisi (inter alia) and distributed throughout Georgia from there. I asked what used to happen before there were airplanes and no-one seemed to know. There is lots of information on the web: e.g.
http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/general/holyfire.aspx
and this site addresses the fact this miracle is largely unknown in the West - certainly, I knew nothing about it.

April 18, 2009

The night before Easter and the local children get dressed up and go around the houses and beg for eggs; the madder dyed, deep red, boiled eggs that are traditional.

It's a bit like trick or treat, but the treats are eggs. I don't know what the tricks are.

Erica and Giga have come over for a week or so. On the day before my birthday we went off to a local restaurant and had dinner.

Giga, Erica, me and Gill

On my birthday, I went to school and the children sang happy birthday for me! After lessons, the teachers had a supra in the staff-room to celebrate my birthday. They supplied the food, and I the booze!


On the day following, Valeri and Marina had a big supra in a new restaurant just outside Borjomi to celebrate my birthday. There were about thirty friends there and the food and drink were really great. As is the norm in such supras, everyone toasted me, wishing me long life and happiness!

Tako and Dmitri gave given me a present.

Giga toasting

Mako toasting

Nino toasting

Teko toasting

Dmitri toasting

Marina toasting

Nino and Keti toasting

Teko rests on Dmitri's shoulder

Mako, Valeri and Erica.

April 4, 2009

Lisa and Mark have come over for a week to see their host-family in Zugdidi and have a brief reunion with the remnants of G7 and the Peace Corps staff. Lisa brought over a whole load of knitting materials for the knitting co-operative Gill hopes to start. We all trotted off to Mark's favorite restaurant in Tbilisi and had a great meal. Both Brians, James, Oliko, Mauricio, Johanna, Danial, Gill and I were there.

Lisa and Mark

Gill and Mark