Remembrance of Last Easter: Rustavi, Georgia, With Friends

Last year I celebrated Orthodox Easter with my host family, my TLG colleague, and my Missouri friends. It was a very special day. Today is Orthodox Easter, and I repost last year's experience with warm memories.

After weeks of meager food choices and fasting, Nely and family were ready for the Easter feast! And so were Kate and Pam, my friends visiting from the U.S., and Sandy, my TLG colleague. And me, too. 

It was a joyful day.

Tatia helped set the supra table.

Rustavi, Georgia. Setting the Easter supra table.

Many delectables appeared: tolma (cabbage-wrapped meat and rice), cheese, jonjoli, bread, mchadi (corn bread), pork liver salad, lamb stew, fried chicken, spinach salad, hadzhe sauce (made with walnut oil), quemali sauce (made from an astringent fruit), tomatoes, salad greens, cucumbers, and green onions.

Eggplant and red peppers with walnut sauce. Khachapuri.

Nely, Ketino, Eka, and Eka's mother all contributed to the supra's culinary chorus.

And I haven't even mentioned the wines and chacha, all made by Irakli from his own grapes in Kardanakhi.

Then the best part came. Nely's son, Paata, and his family sang. Both his and wife Eka's sons have superb voices - they filled the room; it reverberated. Paata's and Eka's young daughter, Baya, also has a fine voice.

I wish I had a sample of both of Paata's and Eka's sons singing. Below is a traditional Georgian song, Kargi Gogo (Good Girl), sung by son Irakli, with accompaniment from Eka and daughter Baya:

Kate said the singing wanted to make her put her head on the table and weep.

It was a special day.