Народные Н и церковные праздники тифлисских армян в XIX веке

ИСТОРИЯ

Abstract

Festivals in the urban environment of Tiflis in XIX century were provisionally divided into religious and national (secular). The filiation of Georgian and Armenian cultural elements in this city led to the creation of a new special “Tiflis subculture”. Many Georgian festivals in this city became Amrenian and vice versa. So, the Georgian festival “Keenoba” became Armenian as well; and Armenian religious festival of “Saint Sarghis” was celebrated by Georgians as their own one. Wedding and funeral rituals were very much similar in both nations. There were many saint places around the city, which were equally honored both by Armenians and Georgians. Such festivals as Mukhetoba, Giorgoba, Teletoba were actively celebrated by both nations. During the festivals people used to bake delicious treats, and a part of those treats was taken to the saint places, where people asked for God’s blessing. Both Georgians and Armenians had the tradition of “matagh” or “meat-offering” to the God. Especially when they were asking for recovery of the beloved ones or when a newborn entered the world. During the festivals it was also a very popular thing to organize fisticuffs and wrestling, called “krivi”, “chidaoba”, “jiriti”. During the religious festivals people used to spend the whole night in the yard of the church. It especially concerned the youth. In the beginning of XX century as a result of Europeanization of all the aspects of life many national festivals