The jubilee celebrations of Vardaton(Feast of Roses) in honor of Sayat-Nova were launched at Surb Etchmiadzin Church in Tbilisi, where the Sunday Divine Liturgy was conducted. Representatives of Armenian community and guests from different countries and regions, who had arrived to attend the Vardaton in honor of Sayat-Nova, by the end of the Divine Liturgy paid tribute to the eminent Armenians buried in the Tbilisi Pantheon Khojivank.

Meanwhile thousands of people of different nationalities were looking forward to attending the Feast of Roses in honor of Sayat-Nova in the yard of the Armenian Cathedral of Saint George, where the great poet and ashug was buried. The Vardaton in honor of Sayat-Nova, established one hundred years ago by Hovhannes Tumanyan, Gevorg Bashinjagyan and Ioseb Grishashvili, is one of the nation’s favorite and has not lost its relevance. It is worth mentioning that the 125^th anniversary of the birth of Ioseb Grishashvili had been solemnly commemorated at the Hayartun Center the previous day.

Delegations from Marseilles, the city of France, the Writer’s Union of Armenia, the Writer’s Union of Georgia and the RA Ministry of Diaspora attended the celebratory event.

The Vardaton(Feast of Roses) celebrations started by laying red roses at the tomb of Sayat-Nova according to the century-old tradition.

The Hayartun Center at the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia, with the support of Tbilisi State Drama Theatre after Petros Adamyan, the Vernatun Union of Armenian Writers of Georgia, the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to Georgia, the RA Ministry of Culture, the RA Ministry of Diaspora, Tbilisi Municipality and with financial support from the Hayartun Center’s Board of Trustees organized the jubilee celebrations.

Levon Chidilyan, Head of Department of Cultural Affairs at the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia and the Coordinator of the Hayartun Center, opened the celebrations of Vardaton-2014. Levon Chidilyan and Anna Poghosova were the event hosts.

Makvala Gonashvili, Chairperson of the Writer’s Union of Georgia, and Edward Militonyan, Chairman of the Writer’s Union of Armenia, greeted and congratulated the audience.

After that the poets and translators Givi Shakhnazari, Anahit Bostanjyan, Badri Kutateladze, Gevorg Snkhchyan, Chairman of the Vernatun Union of Armenian Writers of Georgia, delivered a speech and paid tribute to the national genius Sayat-Nova.

The Sayat-Nova State Minstrel Song Ensemble (Artistic Director, Professor Tovmas Poghosyan), which traditionally takes part in the Vardaton, opened the concert. Love and friendship reigned at Meydan Square, the Ksovrelebi Ensemble, actors of Tbilisi State Drama Theatre after Petros Adamyan, singers, reciters and artists from different corners of Armenia and Georgia performed Armenian and Georgian songs and poems by Sayat-Nova.

His Eminence Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Georgia, blessed the audience.

Beautiful recitations, cheerful songs and dances created a festive atmosphere at Vardaton-2014 and praised love and friendship.