The Golden Age of Georgia came to an end in the 13th century. Khorezmian horde from Central Asia defeated Georgian troops and massacred the country. On November 13, 1227, they collected Christian icons and laid them out on the Metekhi Bridge. Residents of Tbilisi city were demanded to walk on the icons, and those who refused were beheaded. 100,000 people preferred martyrdom to renunciation of faith.
That day is celebrated in Georgia as Commemoration of One Hundred Thousand Martyrs. People gather on the Metekhi Bridge to throw bunches of flowers into the Kura River - just as the bodies of thousands of Christians were thrown into the river eight centuries ago.
Despite that sad story, the commemoration was rather a joyful event. Happy faces, beautiful music, heaps of flowers, and Georgian national flags waiving solemnly. They set a large icon on the bridge, two guards holding it to secure it from falling into the river - the wind blew wildly.
I arrived right in the beginning, took images of believers kissing the icon, and, then, noticed a boy with a flag gladly struggling against the wind.
He was like a metaphor of Georgia renewing its cheerfulness and strength with each new generation, continuing to stand despite the winds.
In the meantime, it was getting darker - the sun was setting behind mountains. Luckily, the organizers set up floodlights so that people sometimes fell into its rays and were illuminated in the best way for photography.
Another kid posing for a phone, with a bunch of chrysanthemums before throwing the flowers into the river.
People kept coming, it got crowded on the bridge. Many scenes were drowned in the mob, behind the heads and backs - at such moments, I regret that I am not two meters tall.
Many were attracted by the religious component of the holiday. In the photo, an elderly woman with candles and a book in her hands. Probably the New Testament or a collection of prayers.
I tried to take pictures discreetly, given the hustle and bustle around, it was not difficult. But it was the one-eyed man who spotted me. I smiled at him. He didn't react and didn't talk to me. I appreciated it.
I hadn't expected that the commemoration day would be such a cozy and cheerful celebration.
But that's probably how it should be. Despite invasions of the Mongols, Timurids, Ottomans, Iranians, etc, Georgia retained its independence, its traditions, and faith.
I took these images with a Nikkor 70-300mm on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 in Tbilisi, Georgia on November 13, 2022.