Kelekhi: the custom and what our arrangements include
A wake meal is the mourning table laid on the day of the funeral, on the 40th day (ormotsi) and on the first anniversary. The tamada (toastmaster) proposes the memorial toast known as shesandobari, guests recall the virtues of the deceased, and the table itself is traditionally restrained: fasting dishes on fast days, ordinary food at other times, but never anything lavish. The custom goes back generations and still accompanies every funeral in Tbilisi; the only difference is scale, from a family table for 30 people to a large wake for 300.
Our service covers every format of wake and includes:
- finding and booking a restaurant close to the cemetery and church, to suit the family's budget and the number of guests;
- planning the menu - fasting or ordinary - with the season and the family's wishes in mind;
- delivering ready-made dishes, plus tables, chairs, tablecloths, crockery and a marquee for a wake at home or in a courtyard;
- serving staff: waiters, a cook on site and cleaners once the meal is over;
- timing everything around the funeral so the table is ready the moment people return from the cemetery;
- a bus to take guests from the cemetery to the restaurant;
- inviting a tamada if there is no suitable person in the family or relatives cannot take on the role;
- tables for ormotsi, the yearly memorial and other remembrance days, as well as a small table at the cemetery after the panikhida (memorial service).
Wake formats: venues and options
The right format depends on three things: how many guests are expected, where the family lives and what family tradition calls for. In the city a restaurant is usually most convenient, while in village tradition a table in the courtyard under a marquee is still the norm, including on the outskirts of Tbilisi.
| Format | Capacity | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant | 30 to 300 guests | A funeral in the city, a family living in a flat, a large number of guests; restaurant staff handle everything |
| Memorial dining room at a funeral hall | 50 to 200 guests | When the farewell takes place in our hall and guests do not need to move anywhere |
| Home or courtyard with a marquee | 20 to 150 guests | Traditional families, a private house, a village or the suburbs; we bring the dishes, equipment and staff |
| 40th day and anniversary | 20 to 100 guests | A memorial table in a restaurant or at home, often after a panikhida at the cemetery |
| Table at the cemetery | 10 to 40 people | A small table beside the grave on the burial day or a memorial day: a table, fasting dishes, wine and bread |
Our restaurant network is chosen so that every major cemetery has two or three options within five to fifteen minutes' drive: near Mukhatgverdi and Vashlijvari towards Saburtalo and Digomi, and for burial grounds in the city's northern and eastern districts in Gldani, Samgori and Varketili. Each one has a separate room or entrance, so the mourning table is kept apart from other diners.
The menu: fasting and ordinary tables
A memorial table is traditionally modest. There are no festive dishes; at its heart are lobio (slow-cooked kidney beans), pkhali (minced greens with walnut), khachapuri (cheese bread), fish and rice with raisins. On fast days - Wednesdays and Fridays, and during Lent and the other fasting periods - the table is entirely lenten. At the family's request we also prepare vegetarian and diabetic options.
| Menu | Main dishes | Drinks and dessert |
|---|---|---|
| Fasting | Lobio in clay pots, pkhali, aubergine with walnuts, mkhali, mushrooms, jonjoli (pickled bladdernut), pickles, potatoes, fish on permitted days, shoti bread | Wine, lemonade, water, halva, churchkhela (walnut and grape sweets), fruit |
| Ordinary | Fasting dishes plus khachapuri, cheese, khashlama or boiled meat, chicken, rice with raisins, khinkali on request | Wine, lemonade, water, pastries, fruit |
| Extended | The ordinary menu plus a choice of hot dishes, mtsvadi (grilled skewers), two kinds of fish, assorted salads | Two kinds of wine, lemonade, coffee, cake, fruit |
Quantities are calculated so the table stays full to the end without anything going to waste. The wine is usually the family's own or comes from a partner cellar, at about one litre for every three guests. At the end of the wake the family takes the remaining food home or, if they ask, it is given to people in need - this too is part of the tradition.
Preparing the wake, step by step
- The call and a first estimate: the coordinator asks when and where the burial will be, roughly how many guests and the kind of table. Within half an hour we send two or three restaurant options with prices and distances.
- Confirming the format and venue: the family chooses a restaurant or the home option, we book the room with no deposit and agree the timing: the table should be ready half an hour before people return from the cemetery.
- Menu and tamada: whether the table is fasting or ordinary is decided by the family and the church calendar. Our coordinator agrees the menu with the restaurant and, if a tamada is needed, introduces him to a family representative beforehand.
- Setting up at home: early on the funeral day the crew puts up the marquee in the courtyard and lays out tables, chairs and tablecloths, and the dishes arrive in insulated containers an hour before guests come back from the cemetery.
- The meal: guests return by bus or in their own cars and sit down at a table that is already laid. The staff serve until the end, usually two to three hours, quietly and discreetly.
- Clearing up and settling the bill: after a wake at home, the crew tidies everything away and removes the equipment that same evening. The bill is based on the actual number of guests, which the coordinator and a family representative count together.
Wake meal prices in Tbilisi
A wake is the simplest part of the funeral to budget: a price per person multiplied by the number of guests. That price covers the full menu, drinks, staff and the room. The family pays only for those who actually come, and we confirm the final number on the morning of the wake.
| Service | Price | What is included |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurant, fasting menu | 35 GEL per person | Full fasting table, wine, lemonade, room, waiters, cleaning |
| Restaurant, ordinary menu with meat | 45 GEL per person | Fasting dishes plus meat, chicken, khachapuri, cheese, wine, dessert |
| Restaurant, extended menu | 60 GEL per person | Choice of hot dishes, mtsvadi, fish, two kinds of wine, coffee, cake |
| Home delivery of ready-made dishes | from 30 GEL per person | Fasting or ordinary dishes in insulated containers, bread; drinks charged separately |
| Equipment for ten people | 60 GEL | A table, ten chairs, a tablecloth, crockery, glasses, cutlery, delivery and collection |
| Courtyard marquee | from 250 GEL | A marquee for 50-100 people, lighting, put up in the morning and taken down in the evening |
| Serving staff | 80 GEL per staff member | A waiter or cook for the whole meal, one staff member per 15 guests |
| Bus from the cemetery to the restaurant | from 150 GEL | A 20- or 50-seat bus, waiting at the cemetery, return to the city |
The price depends on the type of menu, the number of guests - restaurants give a discount above a hundred - and the format: at home, equipment and staff are charged separately, but the food itself costs less. The same rates apply to the 40th day and the anniversary.
Points agreed in writing
A wake needs no legal paperwork, but a few things should be agreed and written down beforehand so there are no misunderstandings on the day. The coordinator puts all of it on a single page and sends it to the family on WhatsApp.
- booking confirmation from the restaurant showing the room, date, time and price per person, which we receive and forward to the family;
- provisional and final guest numbers - the first at booking, the second on the morning of the wake;
- a menu sheet marked fasting or ordinary, with any allergies and special requests;
- for a wake at home, a handover record for the equipment listing the number of tables, chairs and pieces of crockery;
- if a marquee takes up part of the street, consent from the district administration, which we obtain where needed; in a shared courtyard it is not usually required;
- the invoice and receipt after payment, useful for an insurance claim or reimbursement from an employer.
Tradition and etiquette: what the family should know
The tamada and the memorial toast
At a wake the tamada is not an entertainer but the person who keeps proper order at the table. The first toast, shesandobari, is dedicated to the deceased; then the guests remember his or her parents and ancestors, and finally they wish the family good health. Toasts are short, glasses are not clinked and nobody sings. If there is no one in the family for this role, we invite an experienced tamada who respects both tradition and moderation.
Fasting and the church calendar
In the Orthodox calendar, Wednesdays and Fridays are fast days, as are Great Lent and the Apostles', Dormition and Nativity fasts. On those days the memorial table is lenten, and fish is served only on days when it is permitted. The coordinator checks the calendar and tells the family in advance which menu is appropriate, so there is no awkwardness at the table.
Ormotsi, the yearly memorial and the graveside table
Ormotsi and the first anniversary are the principal dates of remembrance. On these days the family goes to the cemetery, a priest serves a panikhida, and a small table is laid by the grave with bread, wine, sweets and fasting dishes. The guests then move on to a restaurant or the family home. We organise both parts together, including the table and equipment at the cemetery.
Reasons families hand us the wake
- Around the clock, 24/7: the wake is often settled the night before the funeral, once the number of guests becomes clear. Our coordinator is available then too, and by morning the restaurant is booked.
- Experience: we know which restaurant keeps its standards for 300 guests, which one runs to time and which has a separate entrance that keeps a mourning table apart from a celebration.
- Transparency: the price per person is fixed and charged on the actual number of guests. The restaurant charges the family nothing extra; every addition is agreed in advance and shown on the bill.
- Knowledge of tradition: the fasting calendar, the rules of the memorial toast and the etiquette of the 40th day and the anniversary are our coordinators' everyday work. The family will not have to explain what is right and what is not.
- One schedule: the wake fits into the overall funeral plan along with the hearse, the bus and the cemetery. The table is ready exactly when the guests return - not earlier, not later.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should a restaurant be booked for a wake?
A day is enough, and in an emergency we can find a free room in our partner network within a few hours. The 40th day and the anniversary are usually booked a week in advance.
What if more or fewer guests come than expected?
You pay for the actual number, so fewer guests means a smaller bill. For extra guests, restaurants keep spare places and food for up to 15 percent more, and the coordinator sorts it out on the spot.
How do we know whether the table should be fasting or ordinary?
The coordinator checks the church calendar: Wednesdays, Fridays and fasting periods are lenten. If the family observes tradition strictly, a fasting table is possible on any day - that is your choice, and it is also cheaper.
Can the wake be held in a village or in a courtyard?
Yes. We bring the marquee, tables, chairs, crockery, ready-made dishes and staff to the outskirts of Tbilisi and to the regions. A marquee in your own courtyard needs no permit, and if it takes up part of the street we obtain the consent.
Who will be tamada if nobody in the family is suited to it?
We invite an experienced tamada who knows the rules of a mourning table: the memorial toast, remembering the ancestors, short and restrained toasts. The family meets him beforehand and tells him a little about the deceased, so that his words are personal.
What happens to the leftover food?
At a restaurant, the remaining dishes are packed into containers for the family; at a home wake they simply stay with the family. Many people follow the custom of giving some to those in need or taking it to a church, and one of our staff can do this for you if you wish.
A wake is held to honour the one who has gone, and the family should not have to worry about laying the table. Whether it is early morning or midnight, our wake coordinator answers +995 568 33 03 18 - half an hour later restaurant options with prices are with you, the menu and timing are matched to the cemetery, and the table will be laid before your guests come back.