Funeral live stream - the panikhida and farewell for family abroad

Step by step: setting up the broadcast

1. Booking: the family tells us which parts of the day to show - the panikhida (the Orthodox memorial service) in the house itself or at a mourning hall, the funeral service in church, the burial at the cemetery.
2. The link: the day before the ceremony we send the family a private link. Only the people the family forwards it to will have it. It opens on a phone, a computer or a smart TV without installing any app.
3. The test: on the day itself the operator arrives fifteen minutes early, checks the connection, sound and picture, and sends a test link to the family's contact person.
4. On air: the operator films with a stabiliser, quietly and discreetly, while sound is captured on a separate microphone so that prayers and spoken words come through clearly.
5. The recording: the whole broadcast is recorded, and the family receives the file within twenty-four hours, so that people who could not watch live because of the time difference can still see it.

Streaming prices

Getting a signal at the cemetery

Cemeteries have no Wi-Fi, and mobile reception is weak in some sections and in villages high in the mountains. For that reason our operator uses a device that bonds the data of two different mobile networks at once: if one signal fades, the other carries on. When a cemetery is new to us, we go and test the signal on site a few days beforehand. In the rare case where there is no coverage at all, we warn the family in advance and suggest recording that part of the ceremony at the graveside and sending it as soon as it is over.

Time zones and the order of the day

For relatives living in the United States, Canada or Australia, a morning panikhida in Tbilisi falls in the middle of their night. Some families therefore shift the timetable slightly, so that the most important moment - the final farewell, for example - happens at an hour that works on both sides. We help to put that plan together, and the recording is there for anyone who simply cannot watch live.

Privacy and who can watch

The broadcast never goes out on an open social network. The link is private, only people who receive it from the family can watch, and we can add a password if you like. The recording goes to the family alone and is deleted from our archive after one month. The operator films only the shots agreed with the family beforehand. As soon as the broadcast ends, the link is closed, and it is reopened only if the family asks.

Letting a relative abroad speak

Sometimes a son or brother living abroad wants his own words to be heard at the graveside or at the table. For this we set up a two-way connection: at the right moment a tablet or speaker is placed in front of the family and the relative addresses everyone directly. It is often one of the most moving moments of the whole ceremony, and families tell us it let the person far away feel that they truly took part in the farewell.

Families who book a stream

Most of the people who order a stream are families living in emigration. Georgians working in Italy, Greece, Spain and Germany often cannot leave their jobs, or do not have papers that would let them travel to Georgia and come back again. For those in America and Canada, the ticket and the long flight are frequently an obstacle they cannot overcome, especially as a Georgian funeral usually takes place three or four days after the death. Streams are also booked for elderly or unwell relatives inside Georgia who cannot make it to the cemetery, and for friends in other cities.

Streaming the memorial meal

Some families keep the broadcast running at the table as well, particularly during the memorial toast, when the tamada (the toastmaster who leads a Georgian table) remembers the person who has died and relatives share stories about them. This meal is the kelekhi, the wake that follows the burial. Family members abroad often gather at home at the same moment, lay a small table of their own and, through the stream, sit down at one table with the family in Tbilisi. In that case we arrange the two-way link so that the eldest relative abroad can raise a toast that will be heard in the hall.

Equipment the viewer needs

An ordinary smartphone or computer with an internet connection and a web browser is all it takes. For older relatives who are not comfortable with technology, we prepare a simple step-by-step guide in English, Georgian or Russian, and before the broadcast starts a member of our team is ready to help over the phone if something will not open.

A stream after repatriation

A stream is often needed in the opposite situation too: someone has died abroad, the body has been brought home to Georgia, and the friends and colleagues they lived and worked with for years in Italy or Greece cannot travel to the funeral. For them, the stream is the only way to say goodbye to a colleague or a friend. In that case the family also sends the link to friends abroad, and we write the viewer's guide in a language they understand.

Preparation: what we ask of the family

• A list of viewers: who should receive the link and which language the guide should be in.
• The timetable: where and at what time each stage begins, so the operator is in place on time.
• Limits: anything that should not be shown, such as the lowering of the coffin or close-ups of the family.
• The two-way link: whether someone abroad wants to speak, and at what moment.

How the operator behaves during the ceremony

A streaming operator is just as unobtrusive as a photographer: dark clothes, silent equipment, a respectful distance from the family. He stays in one spot and usually films from a tripod, so the picture is steady and no movement draws attention. At the cemetery he chooses a position from which both the grave and the family are visible without blocking the path of the mourners. The operator never stops a ceremony for technical reasons: if the signal weakens, recording continues and the live picture resumes as soon as the connection returns.

The recording: storage and sharing

The family receives the recording in two versions: the full one and a short edited film gathering the most important moments of the day. The full version is for the family archive, while the short one is for relatives who would find a two-hour recording too hard to sit through. We hand over both files through a private link from which family members can download them. Many families show the short version on a screen at the ormotsi gathering held forty days after the death, or at the first anniversary, when everyone gathers around the table again.

Frequently asked questions