2024 Christmas Vibe in Tbilisi, Christmas Village, Walk with me
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Along with Orthodox Easter and
Along with Orthodox Easter and the Rtveli wine harvest in autumn, the Christmas and New Year period is one of the most festive and fun seasons in Georgia.
Georgia follows the Julian calendar and thus Christmas falls later than it does in the West, in the first week of January. But December 31 is the main event that sees raucous celebrations in Tbilisi, Batumi and the regions.
Combined with other holiday traditions unique to Georgia, you have almost an entire month of religious and national holidays. The festive mood fires up in early December when the lights go on in Tbilisi, and only ends with Orthodox Epiphany towards the end of January.
Georgia is an Orthodox Christian nation and observes the ‘old’ Julian Calendar. So instead of celebrating Christmas on December 25 like nations that follow the Gregorian Calendar, Christmas in Georgia is precisely 13 days later.
The biggest date on Georgia’s holiday calendar is definitely December 31, which usurps even Orthodox Christmas in terms of celebration and fanfare (but not in terms of religious significance).
This is a hangover from the Soviet period, when Christian holidays were banned and all celebrations were deferred to a secular date. Some other former Soviet countries still celebrate on December 31 as well.
December 25 is not celebrated in Georgia. It is not a national holiday nor a day of religious significance for Orthodox Christians, thus for most people it goes by without any fuss.
Georgia’s Catholic community (around 2% of the population) celebrates Christmas on December 25 with mass and other special events. In Tbilisi and Batumi in particular, the expat community organises Christmas lunches and parties.
This year, there will be a Christmas Brunch at Restaurant Dumas (December 24), a Christmas Eve Dinner at Cafe Littera (December 24), and a Christmas Eve party at Organique Josper Bar.
There are several active Catholic churches in Tbilisi that host English-language mass on Christmas Eve (December 24) and/or Christmas day. Saint Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church in Chugureti neighbourhood holds English services every day of the week (9am Monday to Friday, 10am Sunday) and is the best option if you wish to attend a Catholic Christmas church service in Tbilisi.
In 2023, the church will hold English-language services at 8pm on Christmas Eve (December 24) and at 10am on Christmas Day (December 25).
If you’re visiting Georgia in the weeks leading up to the holiday season, there are plenty of festive things to do in Tbilisi in December. You’ll hear fireworks and crackers going off every single night around the city in the lead-up to December 31.
To wish someone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year in Georgian, you can say Gilotsav shoba-akhal tsels. Or a shorter version for Merry Christmas in Georgian: Gilotsavt shobas.
Though not technically associated with Christmas, I want to quickly mention St. Barbara’s Day (Barbaroba) because it falls right around the time that holiday celebrations start.
This year, Christmas will officially kick off in Tbilisi at 8pm on December 15, 2023 when elaborate light displays are turned on around the city.
As in years past, there will be a big display at Freedom Square (around the statue of St. George), with lights all the way down Rustaveli Avenue until the metro station.
There are also lights in Orbeliani Square and on Atoneli Street, and along Kostava Street and Chavchavadze Avenue in Vera/Vake.
Every year, the light display has a different theme. Previous themes have included ‘world landmarks’ (2020/21) and ‘the solar system’ (2019/20).
For this year, Christmas 2023/24, the city will have brand new light displays! The theme is ‘European City’, a nod to Georgia’s potential EU candidacy, which is due to be announced in December.
In early November, the first lights were installed around the Dighomi neighbourhood. They depict trumpeting angels.
‘Christmas Villages’ pop up on Rustaveli Avenue (near Parliament), in Orbeliani Square (near Atoneli Street) and in Dedaena Park (near the Dry Bridge Market). There are stages for live music and dance performances that are also broadcast on TV.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: www.twinmusicom.org/
Canon and Variation by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Artist: www.twinmusicom.org/
Contents of this video:
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00:00 - In this video
01:28 - Orbeliani Sqr
09:20 - Christmas Village
24:39 - Baratashvili Str
30:45 - Liberty Sqr
32:00 Rustaveli Str
39:53 City Xmas tree
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