Armenian funeral in Tbilisi - in the tradition of the Armenian Apostolic Church

Course of the ceremony

The burial service of the Armenian Apostolic Church is conducted by a priest - in the family home, in a church or by the graveside, as the family wishes and with the priest's blessing. The ceremony usually has several parts:

1. Farewell: the person lies in an open coffin in the house or a hall while relatives receive condolences.
2. Burial service: the priest reads prayers and psalms, often in Grabar - the classical Armenian liturgical language - assisted by a deacon or a chanter.
3. Procession: the coffin leaves the home or the church for the cemetery, with the family and guests following the hearse.
4. Burial: a final prayer at the graveside, a handful of earth, flowers.
5. Memorial table: after the funeral, at home or in a restaurant.

What we take care of

Our packages are the same as for any funeral: basic at 1,200 GEL, a traditional ceremony with a farewell at home from 2,500 GEL, and a large ceremony with a hall from 4,500 GEL. The family decides for itself what to give the priest and the church as a donation.

Farewell at home

In many Armenian families the farewell is still held at home for two or three days, and the flat fills with relatives and neighbours. Women often sit beside the coffin, while men greet visitors in the yard or at the building entrance. Some families cover the mirrors; in others a candle burns by the coffin all night and relatives take turns keeping watch. For these days we supply a refrigerated coffin, chairs, a marquee for the yard and, if needed, cooling for the room, and we always check the family's customs beforehand so that nothing is disregarded.

Clothing and coffin

The deceased is usually dressed in their best dark clothes, and a cross is laid on the chest or held in the hands. Some families also put personal belongings in the coffin: a prayer book, a photograph, a drawing by a child. The coffin is most often of dark varnished wood with an Armenian cross on the lid, although the family can choose any model from our coffin catalogue. Our specialist prepares the clothing the family brings, and if there is none, we offer a ready-made set for a woman or a man.

Memorial days

In Armenian tradition, the memorial days resemble Georgian ones, with some differences. Many families give special importance to the seventh day: relatives visit the grave, a requiem prayer is said in church, and a small table is laid. Then come the 40th day and, a year later, the first anniversary, by which time a headstone is often installed. In addition, the Armenian Church marks days of remembrance for the departed after its major feasts, when families visit the graves. For each of these days we can clean the grave, bring flowers, put up an awning and set a table.

The memorial table

In some families an Armenian memorial table is very much like a Georgian one; in others it has its own dishes and customs. It often features meat or vegetable dishes, tonir-baked bread, lavash, fresh herbs and pilaf, with halva or gata (a sweet layered pastry) to finish, according to family tradition. Our partner restaurants know this menu, and if the family would like a particular dish - perhaps one a grandmother used to make - we brief the restaurant beforehand. The table is priced the same as an ordinary wake, according to the chosen menu.

Wreaths and ribbons

The inscriptions on wreath ribbons are often in Armenian, sometimes in Georgian or Russian, and in mixed families in two languages at once. We print ribbons in any of these languages, with the correct font and spelling. Before printing we send the text to a family member to approve, because a mistake in the Armenian alphabet slips through easily if nobody checks it.

Mixed Georgian-Armenian families

Tbilisi has a great many families in which one parent is Georgian and the other Armenian, or where the grandparents belonged to the Armenian Church and the grandchildren are Orthodox. In such families the burial rite follows the deceased's own church, while the memorial table and memorial days often combine elements of both traditions. We do not interfere in that decision: we listen to the family and shape the ceremony so that relatives on both sides feel at home.

The younger generation and tradition

It is often the grandchildren who end up organising the funeral, and they may know less Armenian and no longer remember every detail of the tradition. They ask us what needs to be done and in what order. We are not clergy, and we leave religious questions to the priest, but we explain the practical side: when to contact the priest, what is needed for a farewell at home, when the memorial days fall. An older relative often helps too, and together we draw up a plan that follows the family's custom.

Guests from other cities and countries

Many Armenian families in Tbilisi have relatives in Yerevan, Gyumri, Russia, Europe and America, and mourners often come from several countries. We meet these relatives at the airport or at the border and drive them home or to a hotel, while those unable to travel can watch the service and the burial via a live stream sent as a private link. The family keeps the recording, and it is often watched on the seventh day or at the 40th-day memorial.

Working with the parish

If the family regularly attends a particular Armenian church, they usually know the priest themselves, and we simply agree the time. If the family has no parish, or the younger generation no longer knows whom to approach, we help find a priest and pass on the family's wishes: where the service will be held, at what time, and in which language they would like some of the prayers to be said. With the priest's blessing, part of the service can be translated or explained in a language the family understands.

Burial in Armenia

Some families choose burial in Armenia, in a home village or a family grave. In that case we transport the body overland across the border with all the necessary documents: the death certificate, a medical certificate, a transport permit and, where needed, translations. The journey usually takes one day, and a family member accompanies the hearse. Some families hold the service with the priest in Tbilisi and the burial in Armenia.

Headstone with a khachkar motif

Armenian graves often carry the khachkar motif - a cross-stone decorated with a carved cross, one of the great symbols of Armenian art. Our craftsmen carve this ornament in granite or basalt, following a pattern supplied by the family or a design by our own designer. The inscription can be in Armenian, Georgian or both languages, and the portrait can be engraved or made in photo ceramic. The family approves the sketch, and production begins only after that.

Frequently asked questions