El Paso: Easter 2017

Easter afternoon at a winery in (near) El Paso, Texas. April 2017.

For those who believe wine is holy water, then it makes sense to spend Easter afternoon at a local winery, yes?

Easter afternoon at a winery in (near) El Paso, Texas. April 2017. Musicians Yadira and Edgar, of April Ticket.

Which is what I did this year, accompanied by my literary cultural interpreter, Benjamin Alire Saenz, in the form of one of his books, Names on a Map.

Easter afternoon at a winery in (near) El Paso, Texas. April 2017.

I did it not for the wine, but to support the hostess of one of my El Paso meetup groups: Live Music. The hostess is Yadira, a lover of live music and a musician herself.

Yadira and her singing partner, Edgar, comprise the versatile, bi-lingual duo April Ticket.

Technically, I spent Easter in New Mexico and not El Paso, at Sombra Antigua Winery, but it was almost El Paso, so close enough.

Speaking of Easters, I think my most memorable was in Rustavi, Caucasus Georgia:


Georgian Easter, Part 1: Jonjoli
Georgian Easter, Part 2: Supra and Song
Georgian Easter, Part 3: Visiting the Dead

Rootless flashback: Orthodox Easter in Caucasus Georgia

Easter supra, Rustavi, Georgia (Caucasus), April 2012.

Today is Orthodox Easter. It's a sentimental day, bringing colorful memories of Eastertime in Caucasus Georgia.

Easter supra, Rustavi, Georgia (Caucasus), April 2012.

I was so lucky to have a couple of American friends visit me during Easter 2012 in Rustavi, Georgia. Not only did I enjoy their company, but it was satisfying to share such a rich cultural experience.

Palm Sunday, Batumi, Georgia (Caucasus), April 2012.

Some videos might tell the story best.

Palm Sunday, Batumi, Georgia (Caucasus), April 2012.

Palm Sunday in an Orthodox church in Batumi here:




My host family's grandsons in traditional polyphonic song at the Easter supra here:






My host family's son and his family singing together the song, kargi gogo (good girl) here:





When I look at the photos, videos, and past blog posts, it reminds me how lucky I am to have choices and the opportunity to travel.

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.

Georgian Easter, Part 3: Visiting the Dead

Rustavi, Georgia. Cemetery. Day after Easter. 

The day after Easter, Georgians visited their dead in cemeteries across the country.

Nely and her family were no exception. Kate and I had the privilege of joining the family on this day.

Rustavi's cemetery is massive. It sits atop a bluff that looks over a river valley, over Rustavi, and over an Azeri-Georgian village. The cemetery includes, in their own sectors, the Christian and Muslim dead.

Rustavi, Georgia. Cemetery. Day after Easter. 

Nely said that on this day, Rustavi would be empty. Indeed, the traffic jam that snarled the road to the cemetery was impressive. It was also very sunny and hot.

Rustavi, Georgia. Cemetery. Day after Easter. 

Traditionally, Geogians bring a supra with them to the graves. It's becoming more common, however, to simplify a bit and bring only wine, the Easter cake (pascal cake, which is similar to a spice cake), and the Easter red eggs. Georgians spill wine on the graves in the sign of the cross. They lay red eggs (and sometimes chocolate) on the graves. Flowers, too.

Rustavi, Georgia. Cemetery. Day after Easter. 

After the visitants leave, the poor come and collect the food on the graves.

Georgian Easter, Part 2: Supra and Song

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.

Georgian Easter, Part 1: Jonjoli

Rustavi, Georgia. Jonjoli. Flowers to be pickled.

Being within the circle of a Georgian family during the Georgian Orthodox Easter was a gift. It was made especially so because two of my friends, Pam and Kate, were here from the U.S. to experience it with me, as was my TLG colleague, Sandy.


On Easter day, Irakli arrived in Rustavi from his and Nely's Kakheti village home in Kardanakhi. Irakli brought with him the sinfully delicious dried persimmons, a supply of chacha, and a huge box of fresh flowers for Nely to pickle.

Rustavi, Georgia. Jonjoli. Flowers to be pickled. Nely.

 
To tell the truth, I'm not a big fan of these flowers once pickled - called jonjoli - but I like the idea of them in the abstract. Until Easter, I had no idea what the flowers looked like when new, as I'd only seen the pickled product.


Nely told me the flowers are cousins to capers. The flowers grow on a tree.

Rustavi, Georgia. Jonjoli. Flowers to be pickled.

 Kate and Nely picked through the flowers, removing the leaves.

Rustavi, Georgia. Jonjoli. Flowers to be pickled. Nely.

The next day, Nely began the pickling process. But here is an example of the finished product:

Jonjoli. Georgia. Photo credit: Helen Graves.

The Black Sea, Part 4: Batumi

Batumi, Georgia. Lada and ludi.

I wasn't all that excited about going to Batumi. It was more of an "I should go there since I'm in Georgia" kind of thing. I had the impression it was the kind of touristy place big on nightclubs and Las Vegas-y kitsch. Not generally my preference.

But since we were going to Ureki, and then decided to hit Kobuleti, Sandy and I thought, why not? Sandy had already been and it wasn't her favorite place, but she was kind enough to accompany me.

Well, damn. I was pleasantly surprised at Batumi.

Batumi, Georgia - a plaza

Yeah, yeah, there was an arid beachside boardwalk, some so-so fountains, an odd, not-very-attractive tower sort of thing with a ball on top, and polished plazas a little too much like what one finds at upscale, American shopping gallerias. The statue with Medea holding up the golden fleece as if it were a jacket left behind by one of the kids.

Batumi ,Georgia - Medea and Golden Fleece

But I loved the pretty side streets. The architecture reminded me quite a lot of New Orleans' French Quarter, actually, with wide and deep second-story verandas, mixed in with a Playa del Carmen pastel palette.

Batumi, Georgia.

Batumi, Georgia.

Batumi, Georgia.

The botanical garden was a large sanctuary of natural shade, greenery, and vivid flowers.

Batumi, Georgia.

When we finished purchasing Batumi-Tbilisi tickets at the train station, we boarded a marshrutka standing by. Didn't know where it was going other than to somewhere in Batumi.

In fact, we had the good luck to pass through the back-end of Batumi, where we saw an intimidating array of oil or gas storage silos, the large local bazaar, and a school no different from what we had in Rustavi and Gori. And lo, we saw lots of bustle around the Cathedral of the Mother of God, a large church that would look at home in, say, Transylvania at night with trembling thunder and lightning strikes that illuminated the dark statue of Mary.  Beautiful, but in an eerie way.

Cathedral of the Mother of God. Batumi, Georgia.

Cathedral of the Mother of God. Batumi, Georgia.

It was the orthodox Palm Sunday, the Bazoba Sunday, as it's called here. Many vendors selling the leafed twigs from a certain shrub. Vendors selling natural dyes for the Orthodox Easter eggs. One dye source is the traditional one from the sap of a specific shrub. Another source is, I think, beet and other things that are soaked into sawdust. For both, one boils the eggs in the water with these twigs or sawdust.

Egg dyeing. Batumi, Georgia. Outside the Cathedral of the Mother of God.

The traditional orthodox Easter egg is a burgundy red. Looks like a color from the richest ancient tapestry.

Batumi, Georgia. Orthodox Palm Sunday (Bazoba), Cathedral of the Mother of God.

We looked inside the church.

 And looked outside.

 

We walked toward the beach and entered the botanical garden. Nice. We sat on a bench for quite a long while and people-watched and enjoyed the coolness of the shade, and when that got too chilly, moved over to a sunny spot and enjoyed the warmth of the sun. A bride and groom came through with their entourage and had photos taken.

Batumi, Georgia.

Getting kinda hungry now, so we made our way toward a Ukrainian restaurant Sandy had visited when she was here before. She ordered a stew sort of dish and was dismayed to see it covered in beloved Georgian mayonnaise. I ordered the fish recommended to me by a Georgian, only to learn it wasn't available at an affordable price, so I went with the red mullet and a boiled potato.

Batumi, Georgia.

Huh. Nely has served me this before and hers was just as good if not better.

We nipped next over to a little coffee shop called the Press Cafe. Signage referring to the WC as the "yellow press" warranted only a weak smile.

Batumi, Georgia. Press Cafe.

We commenced to more Batumi wandering.




I was in search of something, but damned if I can remember what it was. Something to do with a knife .... anyway, we trotted back over to the proles' neck of the woods, a ways from the tourist section. Sandy took a rest with our bags on a store stoop while I went to visit each little shop. I found a Goodwill store (read: Georgian Walmart) and invested some time of my life I'll never get back again, all for naught. The Goodwills here have a lot of stuff, but never seem to have what I'm looking for.

But I did see these sights:

Mercury Hotel, Batumi, Georgia.

Fish eyes, Batumi, Georgia.

Tobacco, Batumi, Georgia.

We'd had a good day. 

At about 10:00 p.m., we went to the train station for our overnight trip back to Tbilisi.

This was going to be fun.

Kate (and Pam) on the Loose, Part 8: Jerusalem

My good friends, Kate and Pam, were in Jerusalem and Jordan before coming to Georgia. Kate started as a solo adventuress in Egypt. Now she is meeting up with Pam. From Kate's journal:


Ah sweet Jerusalem!  Jerusalem has several quarters - Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Armenian.

The Lutheran Guesthouse was located in the Armenian section near the Jaffa Gate.

The old city within the ancient walls is made up of a labyrinth of cobblestone walk ways lined with merchants and their wares.  By the end of our four days we had figured out how to get from A to B.  The rest of the time we guessed or were lost.  But isn't aimless rambling the point of an adventure.

On our first morning we took the free tour offered by the Tourist Office.  He gave lots of history and tried to orient us, I was totally confused.  We did go to a small out of the way section of the Temple Wall and tucked a piece of paper with our prayer in a crack.

In the afternoon we went to the Dome of the Rock Mosque.  It is set on the top of a hill with a large garden and courtyard and of course the dome is covered in gold.

We of course went to the Western Wall of the Temple on Friday night and peeked through the wall separating the men from the women and watched the men sing and dance to usher in the Sabbath.  On the women's side it was lovely to see everyone dressed up with their children.  They would pray for awhile and then hurry home to prepare the Sabbath meal.  We also went to Vad Yeshem, the Holocaust Memorial. We spent four hours and it was one of the highlights.

The Church of the Sepulchre is very large and beautiful.  It is supervised by the Roman Catholics, the Greek Orthodox, the Coptic Church, and the Ethiopian Church.  While we were in the church the Roman Catholics had a procession to the Sepulchre, beautiful robes, incense, and magnificent organ music.  All the churches take turns worshiping at the Sepulchre.  The Ethiopian monks have been relegated to the roof of the church. Everywhere there is a pecking order.  I bought several crucifixes and laid them on the large stone designated as the place Jesus' body was  prepared for burial.

It was a special experience being in Jerusalem during Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week.  The Saturday before Palm Sunday a procession of Roman Catholic monks led a procession through the streets.  They were led by a man carrying a large staff and striking the cobble stone very loudly.  At another time the same day, Muslim men with their prayer carpets had spilled out of a crowded Mosque and were praying in the narrow street.  So many faiths in this holy city.

A large part of the allure of Jerusalem is the energy. Everyone bustling off to pray or do some work.  It is jarring to see young people in uniform or not, carrying guns, on the other hand a group of handsome young soldiers posed with tourists for pictures.  Security was high because of Passover and Easter.  I felt very safe.

There is a large German church, Redeemer, it was founded by Kaiser Wilhelmina around 1850.  On Saturday night before Palm Sunday we went to a concert performed by 28 young women.  The church is all stone, excellent acoustics, and beautiful voices.  Then went back on Palm Sunday for an 1 1/2 services in German.  It is worship all the same.  The pastor's 3yr son got away from his mother during Communion and proceeded to cavort around the altar the entire time.

Our accommodations at the Lutheran Guesthouse were very good.  We definitely had some stars. A big German/Arabic breakfast was included.  The German part was cold cuts and cheese.  The Middle Eastern part was hummus, olives, and pita.  We also had a meal of street food that cost $30, they saw us coming. When I questioned the price he said it was FRESH lamb, must have been a prized pet.  Oh well live and learn, ask the price before ordering.  Our last night in Jerusalem we found the Armenian tavern, a cozy quaint place with great homemade soup and good price.

KATE