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Public holidayReligiousNationwideApril

Orthodox Easter (Aghdgoma)

The most important feast of the Georgian church: a midnight liturgy, red eggs, paska bread and a four-day national holiday.

WhenMovable: Orthodox Easter Sunday by the Julian calendar; the four days from Friday to Monday are days off. 12 April 2026, 2 May 2027
202610–13 Apr 2026
202730 Apr – 3 May 2027 · confirmed
WhereAll over Georgia
Public holidayYes: offices and some shops close
Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba)

Easter closes seven weeks of Great Lent. On Holy Saturday night churches fill for the liturgy, which reaches its high point at midnight with the words 'Kriste aghsdga' (Christ is risen) and the reply 'Cheshmaritad aghsdga' (truly risen). Families dye eggs red on Thursday, bake sweet paska bread and break the fast after the service.

On Easter Sunday and the Monday after, many families visit relatives' graves and share eggs and wine there, so cemeteries are busy. From Good Friday to Easter Monday is a public holiday, and in 2027 the long weekend runs into early May, which makes it a busy domestic travel week.

Tips from your host
  • The Easter vigil at Sameba Cathedral in Tbilisi is the largest; arrive well before 23:00.
  • Expect busy roads and full guesthouses over the four-day holiday.
  • Restaurants serve fewer meat dishes in the Lenten weeks before Easter; plenty of good vegetarian food is available.

Where to see it

Churches & MonasteriesHoly Trinity Cathedral (Sameba)

Georgia's main cathedral, consecrated in 2004 on Elia Hill in Avlabari, with a gilded dome visible from across the city.

Svetitskhoveli CathedralPhoto: Supanut Arunoprayote, CC BY 4.0
Churches & Monasteries · UNESCOSvetitskhoveli Cathedral

Georgia's most important cathedral, built 1010–1029 over the traditional burial place of Christ's robe, with the tombs of Georgian kings.

Gergeti Trinity ChurchPhoto: Supanut Arunoprayote, CC BY 4.0
Churches & MonasteriesGergeti Trinity Church

14th-century church on a ridge at 2,170 m below Mount Kazbek, reached by a steep hike or a short drive from Stepantsminda.

Last checked Oct 2026 by the Maspindzeli team. Mountain conditions change: ask us before you go.

Tours around Orthodox Easter (Aghdgoma)

Sioni CathedralSioni CathedralPhoto: Supanut Arunoprayote, CC BY 4.0
7 days
Classic & Culture

Orthodox Georgia Pilgrimage

A week following the story of Georgian Christianity from St Nino's arrival in Mtskheta to the cave hermitages of David Gareja and the royal monastery of Gelati, with time to join a Sunday liturgy and guidance on how to dress and behave in working churches.

Easy · CL-07Bfrom $1,360 pp
Old Tbilisi (Kala)Old Tbilisi (Kala)Photo: Alexxx1979, CC BY-SA 4.0
7 days
Classic & CultureWine Tours

Classic Georgia

Seven days on the route we recommend to most first-time visitors: Tbilisi at leisure, a two-night stay in the Kazbegi mountains, the cave city of Uplistsikhe with Gori, and a final night among the vineyards in Sighnaghi.

Easy · CL-07from $1,460 pp

More in April and after

Full calendar →
9 Apr 2027National Unity Day (9 April)

A day of remembrance for the people killed by Soviet troops at a peaceful rally on Rustaveli Avenue in 1989.

Public holiday2027 date confirmedHolidayNationwide
17 May 2027Day of Family Sanctity and Respect for Parents

A church-backed day off with a large procession in central Tbilisi.

Public holiday2027 date confirmedReligiousNationwide
26 May 2027Independence Day (26 May)

Georgia's national day, marking the 1918 Democratic Republic, with flags, concerts and fairs in Tbilisi.

Public holiday2027 date confirmedHolidayNationwide