Ana Tabatadze – How do we celebrate New Year in Georgia?

New Year is something that we all look forward to. It marks the beginning of the year and the end of another year. New Year is celebrated all over the world on the first of January. To welcome it, people start cheering on the night of December 31. Like other countries, Georgia also has certain traditions regarding celebrating the New Year.  

        New Year’s traditions in Georgia were established quite a long time ago and have been constantly evolving since then. With us, the New Year was celebrated at different times of the year in different eras. According to the preserved information, since the 9th century, the countdown to the New Year starts from the first month of spring – March. The celebration of the New Year in January began in the 10th century, however, it was finally established in the 14th century. It was during this period that many New Year’s customs and rituals were refined.

         Santa Claus was also common everywhere – a cheerful and bearded old man dressed in a white coat, wrapped in a scarf who distributes gifts to children.

        Now, let me remind you that Georgia is divided into historical-geographical provinces (Kartli, Kakheti, etc.) and each province celebrates the New Year differently.

Kakheti

     In Kakheti, they throw wheat or corn in the house to “Mekvle” and then they sing a New Year’s song. 

 For me, all traditions in Georgia and all over the world are fantastic and I cannot distinguish them from each other.

Author: Ana Tabatadze