The majority Orthodox Christian Georgians commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ on January 7 according to Julian calendar. Civil Georgia’s Editor-in-Chief Otar Kobakhidze visited over the midnight the Kashveti Church and Sioni Cathedral in central Tbilisi, both packed by parishioners, to cover the celebration of Christmas in the two historic places of worship in the Georgian capital.
Christmas service in Kashveti, the cross-dome church located right across the Georgian Parliament on Rustaveli Avenue, Tbilisi’s main thoroughfareParish attending Christmas service in the Kashveti ChurchA woman outside the Kashveti Church during the Christmas serviceSioni Dormition Cathedral in Old Tbilisi, bearing the name of Mt Zion in JerusalemParishioner in Sioni CathedralChristmas mass in Sioni CathedralA parishioner presumably reading out prayers in her smartphone, while a priest performs The Eucharist in the background.Believers lining up to receive the Holy CommunionSioni Cathedral cantors performing Kýrie, Eléison (Greek: Lord, have mercy)Parish in Sioni Cathedral towards the end of the serviceA parishioner reads prayersA candle in the window for Christmas Eve, spotted in Tbilisi’s historic Plekhanov neighborhoodLighting a candle for Christmas eve and placing it in windows have in recent years become a common Christmas tradition for many Georgians, including Orthodox and non-Orthodox. Spotted in Plekhanov neighborhood
