Hospitality
Ask anyone who's been to Georgia to sum up their visit in one word, and you'll probably get "hospitality." It's a value that's been treasured by Georgians for centuries. Georgian hospitality means:
- politeness to strangers, especially to visitors;
- food, including invitations to a home-cooked meal or supra
- gift-giving;
- drinking and toasting (but only wine or hard liquor with friends, as one traditionally toasts with beer only to enemies);
- steadfast loyalty to friends; and
- pride in Georgia's history and culture.
Marriage
Below: Osetian region wedding costumes; note rifle cartridges on groom's traditional jacket 
The Families for Ukrainian and Russian Adoption (FRUA) site has an excellent article on Georgian wedding traditions by Mara Kamen.
Gift-Giving
Customarily, visitors to Georgia give gifts to their hosts and to those with whom the visitors regularly interact. Some of the most appreciated gifts are books from one's home and handmade crafts.
Holidays
Georgian holiday traditions vary from region to region and from family to family. In the past few years many of the west's holiday observances have been incorporated into existing traditions. For the most part, though, Georgians hold on to their own holiday customs.
On New Year's Day, Georgians predict the coming year's luck by the first person who crosses their porch. If that person is a happy, lucky, healthy individual, those in the home will be the same; if not, the family will experience less than great fortune. A favorite custom is to prepare special food to entice a special good-luck visitor to come early in the morning. One child adopted by Americans was featured in the Georgian Times newspaper as a lucky first New Year's guest for his foster family, as the family had no means for food and shelter without the income from fostering.
Grandfather Snow visits children on New Year's Eve, although this Santa-like figure is now becoming more associated with Christmas. Grandfather Snow is dressed entirely in white, and he wears the traditional man's jacket with rows of pockets for rifle shells on the chest. (Georgia’s land has been coveted by other countries for centuries, so defense is woven into the culture – even Grandfather Snow is prepared!) Traditionally, gifts are exchanged at New Year's rather than at Christmas.
While New Year's Day is celebrated as a secular holiday, Christmas is a religious observance. At Christmas (celebrated January 7, Epiphany on the American calendar) Georgians give decorated bags of candy and sweet nuts to friends, as a sign of love and a wish for a "sweet" new year. On the evening of January 6 many families go to church and wait there to greet Christmas at midnight.
Most cultures associate special foods with holidays, and Georgia is no exception. Many families have pork roasts on New Year's Day. Lamb is common at Christmas and Easter. Just about every celebration has confections with nuts, nuts, and more nuts! Please see our Cuisine page for recipes and links; for Christmas treats, see recipes for Gozinaki and Churchkhela.
- January 1: New Year's Day
- January 7: Christmas
- January 19: Epiphany
- March 3: Mothers' Day
- Date varies: Easter Sunday
- Date varies: Easter Monday
- May 26: Independence Day
- August 28: Mariamoba (Day of Virgin Mary)
- October 14: Svetitskhovloba
- November 23: Giorgoba (Day of St. George)
Names
As in any culture, the names Georgians give their children reflect their history, beliefs, and hopes. We have a list of typical Georgian first names. Another resource for typical Georgian names is the list of Georgian kings, below. All are male except for Queens Tamara and Rusudan.
- Bagrat III (son of Gurgen), 975-1014
- Giorgi I (son of Bagrat III), 1014-1027
- Bagrat IV (son of Giorgi I), 1027-1072
- Giorgi II (son of Bagrat IV), 1072-1089
- David IV (son of Giorgi II, aka "David the Builder"), 1089-1125
- Demetre I (son of David IV), 1125-1156
- David V (son of Demetre I), 1156
- Giorgi III (son of Demetre I), 1156-1184
- Queen Tamara (daughter of Giorgi III), 1184-1215
- Giorgi IV (son of Tamar and David, aka "Lasha"), 1215-1222
- Queen Rusudan (daughter of Tamar and David), 1222-1245
- David Narin VI (son of Rusudan), 1245-1293
- David Ulu VII (son of Lasha-Giorgi), 1257-1270
- Dimitri II (son of Ulu VII), 1271-1289
- Vakhtang II (son of Narin VI), 1289-1292
- David VIII (son of Dimitri II), 1293-1311
- Vakhtang III (son of Dimitri II), 1302-1308
- Giorgi VI (son of David VIII), 1311-1313
- Giorgi V (son of Dimitri), 1314-1346
- David IX (son of Giorgi V), 1346-1360
- Bagrat V (son of David IX), 1360-1393
- Giorgi VII (son of Bagrat V), 1393-1407
- Constantine I (son of Bagrat V), 1407-1411
- Alexander I (son of Constantine I), 1412-1443
- Vakhtang IV (son of Alexander I), 1443-1446
- Giorgi VIII (son of Alexander I), 1446-1466
David the Builder (below, left) and Queen Tamar, both by Guram Mgebrishvili
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