On December 18, a Ghapama (Armenian stuffed pumpkin dish) festival was held following a Holy Mass in the yard of the St. George Armenian Church in Tbilisi. The festival was organized by Shushanik Union of Armenian Women of Georgia, sponsored by the Prelacy of the Georgian-Armenian Diocese and held with the support of Hayartun Center.

Ghapama with royal squashes, braised and barbecued pumpkins and various dishes, hot tea and coffee with pumpkin jams, halva and honey — made by the members of the Shushanik Union of Armenian Women of Georgia and the women’s union of the St. George Armenian Church, the parents of the first graders of Armenian School #104 and the Armenian women of Tbilisi — were laid on the tables placed next to each other in the churchyard.

Among the participants were the staff members of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Georgia. Delegates of the Shengavit Administrative District of Yerevan were also attending the celebration.

Greeting the attendees, President of Shushanik Union of Armenian Women of Georgia Susanna Khachatryan appreciated the mission of popularizing Armenian national dishes and transmitting the traditions of making those dishes to the generations-something that the community organization and the women church lovers do with pleasure. The speaker stated that for centuries, Ghapama has been a dish served for New Year’s Eve and the Feast of the Nativity and has been a décor on festive tables.

In his blessing, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia, His Grace, Fr. Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan attached importance to the tradition of modernizing national cuisine established by the Armenian community of Tbilisi, touched upon the symbol of the festival, stated the significance of such events and, in that context, talked about new initiatives and the already planned events. His Holiness highly appreciated the activities of the Armenian community of Tbilisi aimed at preserving Armenian culture in Tbilisi, and Armenian cuisine is part of that.

In his speech, diplomat of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia Harutyun Hayrapetyan highly appreciated the conduct of such events and emphasized the willingness of the Embassy to help organize other festivals.

The Primate and clergy of the Georgian-Armenian diocese blessed the tables full of various types of pumpkins, after which everyone drank tea to the sounds of the Armenian song “Ghapama” along with several tourists, residents of different nationalities of Georgia and guests.

Let us mention that the Georgian-Armenian Diocese regularly hosts festivals devoted to Armenian traditional dishes, including harisa, gata, dolma and ghapama.