Vardaton (rose festival) in Tbilisi
Type: Memorial Day
Dates: End of May
Venue: Tbilisi
Organizer: Union of Armenians of Georgia
Foundation date: 1914
Traditionally, every year in Tbilisi the last Sunday of May is celebrated as Remembrance Day ofSayat-Nova, known as“Vardaton”.
The festival was created on May 15 in 1914, when the Sayat-Nova monument was opened in Tbilisi. On this day, city residents took to the streets with red roses, which symbolized their love for the poet. During the holiday, the great Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan and the Georgian poet Joseph Grishashvili met. It was on their initiative that the celebration of this wonderful day became traditional.
On this day, festival participants gather in the historical part of Tbilisi, in the Maidan area. On this holiday, red roses are laid on the Sayat-Nova tomb, located in the courtyard of the Surb Gevorg church, songs of the famous ashukh are performed, and a theatrical show is performed. These days the city welcomes guests from many parts.
The event is organized by the Union of Armenians of Georgia with the support of the Tbilisi City Hall, the Armenian Embassy in Georgia, the State Armenian Drama Theater named after. Petros Adamyan in Tbilisi and the diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia.
