Gov’t sets May 17 as public holiday for Day of Family Purity and Respect for Parents

May 17 has been designated as a public holiday across Georgia to mark the Day of Family Purity and Respect for Parents, after Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze signed a decree, the Government Administration said on Thursday.

The body said essential employees could be exempt from the holiday, which also does not apply to financial mechanisms and individuals under the supervision of the National Bank, or to state procurements.

The date will also be marked with a procession in the city of Mtskheta near Tbilisi, the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church said.

The religious organisation designated the date in the 2010s and has marked it annually since.