Nikoloz Meskhishvili – New Year’s Tradition in Georgia

The tradition of celebrating New Year’s Eve is diverse in Georgia. Every part of the country celebrates this celebration in their traditional way. Locals want to have a magical New Year, so they start to prepare everything for New Year’s Eve two months earlier.

Georgian appetizers, tradition, entertainment, festival, and joyfulness with your family members or friends are all you need for the perfect New Year’s Eve. So, we’re pretty ready to tell you more about how Georgians celebrate New Year’s Eve in Georgia.

Most people of Georgia celebrate New Year’s Eve with their family members and friends. The traditional appetizers and sweets should be laid on the table. That’s honestly an important element for Georgians.

True preparation for New Year’s Eve includes preparing the gifts for New Year’s Eve, buying the products, standing in the long traffic jam and in the lines to buy Georgian bread for hours, and still laying the table with joy.

 31 December is the day before New Year’s Eve and the supra is in the preparation process during the whole day. The Georgian feast is distinguished because it’s full of delicious traditional foods. Gozinaki, made with honey and nuts, is one of the favorite sweets for Georgians.

Georgian foods and sweets such as Satsivi, Khachapuri, Churchkhela, and Gozinaki are the essential elements for the New Year’s feast. As soon as the table is set and the events ready to start, the desire to step into New Year grows. When the clock strikes twelve everyone celebrates the New Year’s.

2 January – Bedoba

2 January, the second day of the New Year is the “Bedoba” day for Georgians. According to the tradition, it’s important how you spend your day because the whole year will be the same to this day. And that’s why; Georgians try to be happy on this day, have joy and bring a little luck into their lives. The main character of this day is “Mekvle” – the first guest who comes to the family home on January 2nd. 

USA

Families and friends gather together to share a meal and “ring in” the New Year, often with a toast and a song. The tradition of watching the New Year’s festivities at Times Square is very popular.

I think that there is nothing in common between American and Georgian traditions.

Author: Nikoloz Meskhishvili