Christmas 

Christmas traditions in Georgia
Christmas and New Year are celebrated differently in different parts of Georgia. These two holidays are closely intertwined, but the New Year and its celebration traditions still contain pre-Christian customs. Today, Christmas is celebrated in a calmer environment in Georgia. This holiday is celebrated with all the Christmas alleys. There has been a tradition for centuries - a team of men came to the neighborhoods and sang Christmas greetings. The evangelist presented the evangelists with church bells, fruits and various products. Basically it was bread, sugar and eggs. The men were later replaced by children. Money and other sweets were added to the gift along with Churchkhela. In Georgia, Christmas and New Year table dishes are prepared in different parts of the holiday. In Imereti, Guria and Samegrelo - Satsivi, in Samegrelo - Elarji and Ghomi, in Meskheti - Gozinaki prepared with mulberry bekmez and chopped walnuts. Pork is an essential attribute for the holiday. In Samegrelo - pigs are burned with ajiki and salt water, they prepare kupats from pork entrails and meat. Earlier in Kakheti, boiled pork head and leg, pork barbecue and mujuzhi had to be placed on the Christmas table in Kakheti. It is also traditional to have a round boiled mother with Niortava sauce. Garlic is sliced ​​walnuts and garlic mixed with salt and mixed with water or chicken broth. Boiled corn is slowed down as much, which is very typical for Kakhetian New Year table. From sweets - Churchkheli (in western Georgia - Janjukhebi), honey, nuts and dried fruits. The Christmas-New Year menu also includes pumpkin-cooked sweet pilaf,  which is also prepared for the barbaric holiday.

Christmas Carol in Georgia 

In Sifnos 

The Greek custom of ‘kalanta’ (carol singing) in Sifnos originates in Constantinople, and has two peculiarities: on the one hand, the ‘kalanta’ are sung to Byzantine rhythms on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, not at Christmas or Epiphany, and on the other, in Sifnos every year new carols are written for children’s choirs and the choirs of church committees and other local associations.

In Kastoria 

The fires (Branches) of Christmas

Large fires set in various villages of Kastoria on December 23, which, according to custom, are intended to warm the newborn Christ.

Kolianda    Early in the morning (00.00 onwards) on the 23rd of December, groups of young and old take to the streets and sing Kolianta, the Kastorian traditional Christmas carols with lyrics that are addressed to each member of the family individually and ask for treats from each house.

New Year 

New Year is an important special year in Georgia, which everyone, small or impatient, is waiting for. The New Year is celebrated with new hopes, wishes and goals against the background of a festive table or celebration.     

The New Year tradition in Georgia is diverse and every corner of the country celebrates it differently. Locals start preparing for the New Year two or one month in advance to magically celebrate New Year's Eve.

Georgian dishes, tradition, fun, celebration, fun in the circle of friends or family and New Year's Eve need nothing more for ideality.

So, we are ready to tell you more about how the unforgettable New Year's night is celebrated in Georgia     

The last and most "colorful" month of the year, December, celebrates the New Year with a city decorated with New Year decorations. Get involved in all the New Year preparations and the blindfolded ones are looking forward to the New Year. In December, New Year's events, holidays and lots of fun come together to end the year happily.

Most of the population of Georgia celebrates the New Year with family and friends. Therefore, it is important for Georgians to have a perfect New Year's table, to be decorated with traditional dishes and sweets.

Do you still know what the real pre-New Year preparations mean? Prepare Christmas presents, buy products, stand for hours in the big traffic jams and long queues in the city to buy bread, and happily decorate the New Year table.                                                                                                                                

31 December
On the eve of the New Year, everyone prepares and the New Year table is set. The supra is distinctive because it is mostly traditionally decorated. Gozinaki, which is made especially for the New Year, is a favorite sweet of Georgians. Traditional dishes and sweets such as satsivi, khachapuri, churchkhela and gozinaki are essential elements for the New Year table.

As soon as the supper is ready and the New Year events begin, the desire for the coming of the New Year grows more and more. And when the clock strikes twelve everyone congratulates each other on the arrival of the new year            

On the first day of the new year, most of the population meets at night. Celebrating the biggest holiday starts on the night of January 1st and continues the fun for a few days.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  January 2 - Fate
January 2 is the day of fate in Georgia. According to tradition, this day will be as daring as you spend the whole year. That is why everyone strives for happiness, joy and peace. The protagonist of the day is the "mekvle",(The mekvleis the person who is the first guest to enter the family on the first day of the new year.). the first person to visit the family on January 2. It is said that the mekvle is very important who will be in the Georgian traditional family. Both the mekvle and the host dare to celebrate happiness together and celebrate the New Year.                                                                                  ld New Year

The old New Year tradition has existed in Georgia for years. Old New Year is celebrated in Georgia on January 14, but they are less prepared for this day compared to January 1. Georgians celebrate the New Year on January 14 and celebrate the New Year with a new attitude.

Georgia is distinguished from other countries by different traditions and New Year preparations.

As they say, miracles happen on New Year's Eve. Therefore, we believe that the dreams conceived on New Year's Eve will surely come true!  

In Kastoria 

The Carnival in Argos OrestikoIt lasts three days, from December 31 to January 2 and is the culmination of entertainment in Argos Orestiko. At the Argetic Carnival, it starts on the afternoon of New Year's Eve with the "buns" dancing in the neighborhoods, fascinated by the sounds of folk instruments.At New Year's noon, the carnival parade takes place, with satire (political and social) as the dominant element and the spectacle as the second, an element of newer influences.The custom of the third day of the carnival, "Pateritsa", on January 2, when only women dress, proved to be more durable.The name comes from the time when oppressed women were disguised, with their faces covered, so that they could have fun without hesitation, holding a mango tree, the "Crutch", to defend themselves against male teasing.From then until today, the Argetises revel in all the machalades and in the end all the groups end up in the square of Argos Orestiko where the musicians, the "clarinetists", compete intensely with the clarinets, the trombones, the zournades, the drums.