Traditional celebratory Christmas march “Alilo” is being held in Tbilisi. The children dressed in the costumes of angels and shepherds with other marchers walked from the First Republic Square through a number of main avenues of the city, before reaching the Holy Trinity Church.

The marchers stopped at several locations receiving Christmas presents from the Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and MPs, as well as from the President’s wife, representatives of Patriarchate, etc.

“Alilo” is a theatrical march involving participants in costumes. According to religious accounts, angels were the first to receive news of the birth of Christ. With roots dating back to the 5th century, “Alilo” was resurrected as a public celebration in 2000 by the Catholicos Patriarch of Georgia Ilia II and has been held annually across the country.