Georgians are engaged. Who are Georgians? Georgia and religion

Georgia is a state located on the eastern coast of the Black Sea. Belongs to Asia, but is often seen as part of Europe. The Georgian people adopted Christianity at the beginning of the 4th century AD in an attempt to gain support from the Byzantine Empire against the Persians in the east. Saint George became the patron saint of the new one, hence the name “Gurdzhistan”, including the modern Russian exonym – Georgia.

In other European languages ​​and in English-speaking countries, the Latin name – Georgia – is firmly established. The name of the country is very similar to the name of a state in North America - which is why confusion periodically arises in the media and other sources.

The Georgians themselves (georgians) call themselves Kartvelebi, and their state – Sakartvelo. These names come from the legendary Georgian hero - Kartlos, the ancestor of the Georgians and the founder of Kartli - the cradle region of Georgia. According to legend, the genealogy of Kartlos originates from the family of Togarma - the biblical patriarch from whom the Armenians, Dagestanis, Albanians and other peoples of the Caucasus also descend.

The ancestors of the Georgians were formed from a wide variety of small tribes and resulted in the three largest ethnic groups of Georgians:

• maps or Kartvels (that’s what Georgians, residents of the central regions, call themselves);

• Megrelo-chans (people of the historical region of Megrelia);

• Svans (residents of the mountain ranges - Svaneti).

The process of assimilation lasted until the 6th-10th centuries AD, together with the formation of the first Georgian states, and then a common Georgian language began to form.

Anthropologically and by origin, Georgians are part of the Pontosagros type of the Balkan-Caucasian race. Their racial differences are characterized by their smaller size compared to other Caucasian groups and the brachycephalic structure of the skull.

The bulk of the modern population of Georgia is quite homogeneous due to the peculiarities of the country’s geographical location and the lack of migration routes for other nationalities through Transcaucasia.

Most Georgians are stocky, well-built, and muscular. They have dark skin, dark brown eyes and black hair. Contrary to popular belief, among Georgians there are golden-haired, red-haired, fair-haired mountaineers with pronounced green or blue eyes. Georgians often have lighter skin tones.

A characteristic feature of all Georgians is the famous Caucasian hospitality and adherence to the laws of honor. The Georgian nation is characterized by excessive openness, ardor, and love of life. Most Georgians are quite easy-going, prone to active, varied work and do not like everyday routine.

Unlike Muslims, the role of women in the Georgian community is quite large. Georgians, as you know, are of the Orthodox faith and the cult of Nina, a Christian educator, is of great importance to them.

History of Georgian migration and their communication with other states

Modern Turkish territory includes the so-called Turkish Georgia - the southwestern regions of the former ancient kingdom of Tao-Klarjeti. In the 9th century, the Georgian kingdom was one of the most prosperous: temples and monasteries were built on the territory of Klarjeti, which have survived to this day and are included in the UNESCO cultural heritage lists.

Historically, this region was conquered by Turkic tribes in the 10th century - the Seljuks. Subsequently, the territory was liberated by the Georgians, but captured by the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, which named the captured regions in its own way: Artvin and Ardahan. To this day, Klarjeti is a province of modern Turkey in which the Georgian ethnic group has been preserved.

At the moment, over 150 thousand Georgians live in Turkey, most of whom are Islamized and are native speakers of Turkish.

The largest Georgian diaspora of Georgians is Russia. According to census data, about 200 thousand Georgians live in Russia. The first communities of settlers appeared in Moscow and St. Petersburg in the Middle Ages. Another rapid growth of the Georgian community occurred in the second half of the 20th century, when Georgia was part of the USSR.

Iranian Georgians are an ethnic group of Georgians living in the modern territory of Iran. The first Georgian settlements in Iran appeared at the beginning of the 17th century as a result of punitive operations of the Safavid state (modern territory of Iran) against Georgia, from where 30 thousand of the Georgian population were evicted to the territory of the Safavids, mainly as slaves and warriors.

The modern Georgian diaspora in Iran numbers more than 100 thousand people, many of whom were Islamized in the Middle Ages, but have retained their language and traditions.

A large diaspora of Georgians can also be observed in some countries of Europe and Central Asia, where Georgians flocked at various periods of time:

• Ukraine.
• Cyprus.
• Greece.
• Spain.
• Azerbaijan.
• Italy.
• Uzbekistan.
• Kazakhstan.
• Belgium.

Language dialects of Georgia and their etymology

The Georgian language is an ancient written language; the first records in the ancient Georgian language date back to the 5th century AD.

The Georgian language should be classified as part of the Kartvelian language family. The closest to it are the Svan, Mingrelian and Laz languages, which are fluent in some sub-ethnographic groups of the population of Georgia (Svans, Mingrelians), which does not prevent them from speaking fluently the national language. In addition, the Georgian ethnic group is rich in a variety of mountain and western Georgian dialects.

The modern Georgian language is based on the classics of Georgian literature and is the national language of the state. Its basis is taken from the Kartli dialect, and is closely associated with Kakheti, Mtiul, Racha and Imeretian.

Features of culture

The most important attraction of Georgia is the Georgian and. Many dishes from the Transcaucasian menu have become an international treasure and their popularity has gone far beyond the borders of their country:

• soup kharcho;
• khinkali;
• khachapuri;
• chicken tabaka;
• Suluguni.

Products prepared based on Georgian recipes are famous for their contrasting combinations of spicy and hot, and their recipes date back millennia and are not much different from modern cooking methods.

“Eastern and Western Georgia have their own unique recipe for preparing the same dish.”

Georgia is the birthplace of winemaking. Many archaeological finds related to winemaking and viticulture culture have been found on the territory of Georgia.

“The cult of wine in Georgia found its manifestation in the grape harvest festival - Rtveli. This family holiday is not tied to any date and depends on the start of the harvest. Most often it falls at the end of September.”

Georgia is rich in architectural monuments and has a wide range of cultural objects. The peak of architectural development occurred in the Middle Ages during the high development of statehood and temple construction.

Today the Georgians are ONE of the most remarkable peoples, attracting the attention of historians and archaeologists for the richness and diversity of their ancient material culture and the longevity of their corporate social organizations. Its evolution can be traced quite clearly over three thousand years, and there is no doubt that the population of the Paleo-Caucasian group, the ancestors of modern Georgians, populated their land and surrounding areas long before this time.
The settlement area of ​​the Georgians and related Ibero-Caucasian peoples resembles a wedge in shape, located between the Caspian Sea and the eastern tip of the Black Sea. From the north it is limited by the Main Caucasian Range, from the south it borders with Armenia, and from the east - with modern Azerbaijan, Albania, as ancient geographers called it.
The majority of Georgians as a nation are concentrated today within the borders of the Republic of Georgia. The total number of Georgians and representatives of related peoples of the Ibero-Caucasian branch is approximately 3.5 million people. According to the official census, by the middle of the twentieth century. 2,601,000 people lived in Georgia, accounting for 64.3 percent of all Georgians. Another 50,000 people live in various other parts of the CIS, the rest abroad. A huge part was concentrated in the eastern provinces of Turkey. And also in some parts of Iran, especially in Feridun near Isfahan, where they were deported at the beginning of the 18th century. Shah Abbas I.
Georgians call themselves Kartvelebi and their homeland Sakartvelo. Both names go back to the name of the mythological hero Kartlos, whom Georgians consider their ancestor. The main province of Central Georgia, where Tbilisi (Tiflis) is located, is called Kartli. As often happens with ethnic concepts, representatives of other nations often designated Georgians with names that have nothing to do with their self-name Kartvelebi.
Thus, the Armenians and ancient Persians called the Georgians of the eastern region Virks or Virshbuns, the element “vir” formed the basis of the name Iveria or Iberians, which, in turn, was used by the Greeks and Romans.
Strabo and other ancient geographers believed that the Iberians were inhabitants of Spain, and were dismayed to discover that another "Iberians" lived in the Caucasus. To explain this fact, they invented the theory that this country was once inhabited by newcomers from Spanish Iberia. Similarities can be found between the Caucasian languages ​​and the Basque languages, which allows some support for this idea, although in fact it should not be taken seriously thanks to modern scholars.
It is very likely that the root "vir" or "ver" has something in common in connection with the ancient Caucasian tribes of the Saspers and Tibarenis, who dominated in the time of Herodotus. Arabs and modern Persians called Georgians “Kurj” or “Gurj”. This is where their Western European name “Georgians” comes from, which they tried to explain, and
very incorrectly, education on behalf of St. George, the protector and patron of the country after the adoption of Christianity.
It is interesting to note that similar confusion exists regarding the neighboring Albanians of the Caucasians, who recently lived in the territory that is now part of Azerbaijan. These Caucasian Albanians existed as a separate nation since the 11th century. Their name is associated with the Armenian “agbuan” or “alvan”, which has nothing in common with modern Albanians living in the Adriatic, neighboring Yugoslavia. These today's Albanians entered history several centuries later than those who live in the Caucasus, they speak an Indo-European language and in any case do not consider themselves Albanians, but call themselves “Skippers” and their country - Shkipperia. To avoid confusion, we note once again that all references in this volume to “Iberians” and “Albanians” refer to those peoples who were local inhabitants of the Caucasian isthmus, and not at all to those who inhabited the Mediterranean coast.
From an anthropological point of view, the Georgians, along with the Svans and Mingrelo-Lazs, belong to the so-called Pontosagros group, occupying an intermediate position within the Paleo-Caucasian family of peoples. Modern Georgians are largely brachycephalic or hyperbrachycephalic, although, as Debet believes, their physical type has undergone significant changes over the past two millennia. Most Georgians have beautiful dark or yellowish skin and dark hair, although there are also blondes. Most are brown-eyed, but about 30 percent have blue or gray eyes. They are usually of medium height, athletic and flexible.
The people of the eastern province of Kartli and Kakheti have prominent aquiline noses and high, arched skulls. In Western Georgia, a straight, thin nose is more common, although the general outline of the face is more reminiscent of a variant of the Mediterranean type, now common in Southern Italy or Greece.
Like today's Armenians and Anatolian peasants, Georgians are the result of ethnic mixing that occurred over several millennia. During this process, the natural, original substrate was covered by a series of waves of invading multi-ethnic groups. This happened with the Armenians and their original language, classified as Indo-European, and the Hurrian and Urartian substratum superimposed on the Indo-Aryan base.
The predominant ethnotype in modern Turkey with a highly raised aquiline nose has nothing in common with the narrow-eyed representatives of the nomadic Turks from Altai, but is strongly reminiscent of the characters depicted on ancient Hittite frescoes.
Georgia's extreme remoteness from major migration and invasion routes has led to great demographic homogeneity, so that modern Georgians can be perceived as descendants of the indigenous inhabitants of the Caucasian Isthmus and nearby territories to the southwest, into which the Indo-European element associated with the invasions merged three millennia ago Scythians and Cimmerians, the settlement of coastal areas by Greeks from Asia Minor, and even later to the successive succession of Arab, Mongol, Turkish and Persian conquerors.
The communal way of life of modern Georgians has its roots in the era of the Hittites, Urartians and Assyrians. Unlike other disappeared civilizations, in Georgia its features have largely been preserved to this day.
Modern Georgia covers an area of ​​69,300 square kilometers, including Abkhazia
a republic with its capital Sukhumi (ancient Dioscuria), located on the Black Sea, the Autonomous Republic of Adjara with its capital Batumi and the South Ossetian Autonomous Okrug with its center in Tskhinvali. The Adjarians are Muslim Georgians who converted to Islam during the centuries-long Ottoman rule. On the other side
Abkhazians belong to the northwestern or Adyghe-Circassian group of Caucasian peoples. Ossetians are descendants of the medieval Alans, an Indo-Iranian people related to the Sarmatians.
A study of the history of the Georgian peoples must necessarily include Lazistan, a wide strip along the southeastern coast of the Black Sea, west of Trebizond, as well as east to the upper reaches of the Chorokh River and further to Beiburt and the territories around the fortified cities of Kars and Ardahan and south-west west of Erzurum.
Before the Seljuk invasion in the 11th century. this mountainous Pontic region, now part of the Turkish Republic, played an important role in the cultural, linguistic and ethnic development of the Georgian nation. And even earlier, the Old Testament tribes Meshesh and Tubal, who settled Central Anatolia, played an important role in connecting Transcaucasia and the ancient civilizations of Syria and Palestine.
Geographical and climatic conditions in Georgia are extremely diverse. The territory of modern Georgia consists of 54 percent mountains, 33 percent hills and plateaus, and only 13 percent plains and valleys. Such diversity has influenced the climate, which ranges from temperate subtropical, prevailing in the coastal part of the Black Sea, and dry warm Mediterranean type in Imereti and Kartli, to subalpine in the grasslands and forests of the Caucasus Upland, surrounded by the very high, snow-capped peaks of Kazbek and Elbrus.
A huge variety of fauna and flora has been discovered in Georgia; even at the dawn of civilization it was considered an ideal place for hunting, raising livestock, cultivating grapes and many agricultural crops. The country is rich in metals and minerals. In Greek myths, in the Old Testament, and in ancient historians, Transcaucasia is mentioned as a hotbed of metal processing. Archaeological finds confirm that Georgia is the ancestral home of metallurgy. And now manganese, copper, iron, arsenic, tungsten, gold, mercury, lithographic stone and marble are mined in Georgia.
Georgian rivers are rich in fish and are a source of cheap electricity.
Within the boundaries of the geographic area we have outlined, Georgians have retained a number of clearly distinguishable regional cultures and dialects.
The Kartvelians (as Georgians usually called themselves) early divided linguistically into three main groups: Iberians (or Georgians proper), Svans and Mingrelo-Laz. Mingrelians and Laz settled along the subtropical coast of the Black Sea. The Svans formed independent tribal enclaves in the high valleys of the Caucasus Mountains, while the numerically dominant Ibero-Georgians occupied the modern provinces of Kartli, Kakheti, Samtskhe and surrounding areas.
Two thousand years later, Strabo spoke of the Svans as a powerful warlike nation, capable of bringing at least 200 thousand warriors to the battlefield. Nowadays the number of Svans does not exceed 25 thousand.
During the rule of the Arabs in the Caucasus, many Georgians emigrated east through Surami to Ancient Colchis. They then settled around the Rioni delta on the Black Sea coast, separating the Mingrelians from the related Laz people, who lived
further south.
Georgians, Svans and Mingrelo-Laz form the Iberocaucasian group within the Caucasian family of languages. Of course, the Caucasian languages ​​are completely independent and distinct from the Indo-European, Turkish and Semitic families, although many words have been borrowed from them over time. It is interesting, for example, to find the term ghvino (“wine”) in Georgian, which some believe to be an ancient borrowing from an Indo-European language, while others see it as evidence that it was in Georgia that grape cultivation first began. Some fundamental similarities can be drawn between Old Georgian and Classical Armenian, which developed in parallel with it and also adopted a common Anatolian, possibly Hurrian, substrate. In connection with the numerous misinterpretations that exist, something should be said about the use of the term “Caucasian”. Probably some anthropologists, who think they know everything, and American immigration officials, from whom nothing else can be expected, usually use this word to designate all those who are not Negro, Jew, Indian or Chinese. In other words, “Caucasian” is used as a term opposite to “colored.” This view is completely unscientific and completely wrong.
For this reason, the term "Caucasian" as used in this book refers only to the ancient nation and tribes that have lived since time immemorial on the Caucasian Isthmus and surrounding areas. In addition to Georgians, these include Circassians, Kabardians and Abkhazians in the north-west, as well as Chechens, Ingush, Avars, Lezgins and others
the peoples of Dagestan - from the north-west. The situation was complicated by the introduction of the so-called “Japhetic” theory, associated with the name of academician Nikolai Yakovlevich Marr (1864-1934). A remarkable linguist and textual critic, Marr at the beginning of his career made a huge contribution to science, discovering numerous treasures of the ancient Georgian and Armenian civilizations. Turning further to the history of Asia Minor and the Mediterranean, he tried to explain from the point of view of Caucasian languages ​​and archeology a number of ambiguities associated with the prehistory of this territory. Being confident that the peoples of the Caucasus are the most
ancient, Marr believed that in the Mediterranean civilization it was possible to identify elements of a substrate more ancient than Indo-European and Semitic, in short, a certain “third ethnic element”, which he designated for ease of use as “Japhetic” after the name of Noah’s third son Japheth, ancestor Tubal and Meshech.
After the revolution of 1917, Marr announced that he had discovered his own linguistic theory, which he called “a new doctrine of language.” He believed that all world languages ​​were formed from four “mystical languages” - sal, ber, rosh and op. Marr stated that he dreamed about them. In the early 1920s, such a phantasmagoria, framed in accordance with the tenets of orthodox Marxism, received the approval of official authorities and for many years was considered in Russia the only correct and indisputable theory of the origin of languages. Only in 1950 was it destroyed in the book by I.V. Stalin’s “Marxism and Issues of Linguistics” and was soon forgotten.
Let us indicate our point of view. The phonetic system of the Georgian language includes five basic vowels, without distinction between short and long, and 28 consonant phonemes. Old Georgian had two more consonant sounds, as well as diphthongs, which were then reduced to separate sounds. As in other North Caucasian languages, Georgian has three groups of consonants, different in articulation:
1) voiced: b, d, g, j, j;
2) labiodental and anterior lingual: p", t", k", ch, c;
3) labiolabial and posterior palatal: p, t, k, dz.
The system of parts of speech in the Georgian language is the same as in other Indo-European languages, although, along with inflectional ones, it has obvious articulatory characteristics. The noun has seven cases: nominative, vocative, genitive, dative-accusative, prepositional-instrumental and objective. The latter is a special form used to indicate the subject of a transitive verb in the aorist (past tense) and in some other cases.
Instead of prepositions, postpositions are used in the Georgian language. Sometimes merging a postposition with a noun leads to false etymologies.
For example, the old Georgian “mtasa zeda” (“on the mountain”, literally “mountain on”, literary analogue - “at the top”) led to the appearance in modern Georgian of the word “mtaze” (cf. Mtatsminda). This happens in many other cases. The plural in old Georgian was formed with the help of an additional suffix -ni-, in indirect cases -t "a-, in modern Georgian to form the plural, the plural suffix -ebu- and the corresponding ending (if necessary) are added to the singular form.
The Georgian language does not have a definite or indefinite article, nor does it differentiate between genders, even when it comes to pronouns. Adjectives, which usually precede the noun being explained in modern Georgian, agree with it in case, but not in number; in Old Georgian, complete agreement was considered correct, and the adjective could appear after the noun.
The most complex of all parts of speech is the verb. There are different paradigms for conjugating transitive and intransitive verbs, as well as neuter and indirect verbs. According to the tense used, the grammatical subject of a transitive verb can be nominative, dative-accusative or objective case.
The Georgian verb has a developed system of tenses, which distinguishes between the present tense, the present continuous, the future, the past simple, the past complete, and the long past tense. To form it, the corresponding vowel infixes are used (affixes inserted inside the root of a word during word formation or inflection).
Prefixes express cause-and-effect relationships or coercion.
Consonantal prefixes convey first, second or third person and, accordingly, determine the case of the object. Special prefixes are used to indicate the direction of movement and the incompleteness of an action. First of all, this concerns verbs of motion.
All of the above makes it difficult for foreigners to learn the Georgian language. Equally difficult for a European are the common consonant contractions in Georgian, such as “me vbrdskvinav” (I sparkle), “khrdsna” (spoiled) or “prtskvnis” (he/she undresses), which a native speaker can easily cope with. However, with an abundance of sonorants and a rich vocabulary, the Georgian language in the mouth of a poet or speaker makes a stunning impression. As for the characteristic features of relationships and norms of social behavior, the Georgians have carried through the centuries some completely unique features, others are part of the common Caucasian heritage - the concept of honor and hospitality.
The rest were primarily associated with the national temperament and ancient traditions of the Georgian nation. Georgians differ from their eastern and northern neighbors by their proud, even somewhat pompous behavior, based on the conviction of the superiority of their culture. Indeed, they have always been considered skilled cattle breeders and winemakers. An old saying says that in Georgia every peasant is as proud as a prince. Georgians were also distinguished by their loyalty to their word and convictions, they were
excellent orators, passionate debaters and masters of intrigue. They were famous as skilled horsemen, sharp shooters and passionate hunters, lovers of friendly feasts. Georgians turned out to be less adapted to life in a modern industrial community and did not always have a favorable attitude toward working in factories or institutions, as well as routine activities where their inherent skills were not used.
it is their personal initiative.
In contrast to Muslim traditions, Georgians have always given women a special place in public life. This is also evidenced by special cults dedicated to the Virgin Mary, St. Nina, who baptized Georgia, and Queen Tamar, whose reign is considered the Georgian golden age.
Despite the subordination of the elder in the house and a number of other restrictions, Georgian women never wore veils in public places and were not excluded from social and public life. Instantly responding to both insults and outbursts of friendliness, the Georgians prided themselves on their hospitality, which is difficult to match.
As a people who produced the greatest poets, dancers and musicians, they found special pleasure in good living and human friendship. Easy-going, cheerful, even somewhat epicurean-minded, Georgians are endowed with a lively mind and a natural sense of humor.
Like the Armenians, they created a large layer of intellectuals, professors, doctors, teachers, civil officials, army officers, and people of liberal professions. However, in a commercial sense, they were not distinguished by their insight; sometimes the Georgians could not even extract what they needed. benefit from its natural resources.
Described by one eastern traveler as “free, passionate and cheerful,” the Georgians encouraged gatherings, although they always resisted those who tried to penetrate their closed and deeply nationalistic inner world or impose their social system on them.
Until quite recently, we knew practically nothing about the life of people in Georgia before the Bronze Age. Known for their observations, early explorers such as J. Morgan generally doubted that any Paleolithic or Neolithic culture existed in the area. Archaeological investigations conducted over the past fifty years have radically changed our understanding of the prehistory of civilization in Georgia.
First of all, anthropologists have refuted the conclusions that the settlement of Georgia occurred as a result of some kind of migration, and that the proto-Georgian civilization itself originated somewhere else. The results of archaeological research conducted in the second half of the twentieth century clearly show that Georgia is one of those areas in which the birth of humanity on our planet took place. The processes of settlement and evolution of primitive man continued throughout the main periods of prehistoric and written times. Regardless of the role that external factors, race and culture had - and there were enough of them - on the formation of the Georgian nation and its ancient civilization, these elements were superimposed on the autochthonous population and the culture that
already existed in Georgia at the dawn of mankind.
It is in this regard that it is appropriate to note that to the east of Tbilisi, in the Gareji region, several settlements were discovered where the remains of an ape were discovered, therefore called Udabnopithecus (from the Georgian word “udabno”, meaning “wild”). As it turned out, this creature occupied an intermediate position between a chimpanzee and a gorilla. It was discovered in 1939 by geologists N.O. Burshak-Abramovich and E.G. Gabashvili. Only a few scattered fragments have survived from Udabnopithecus, two teeth, one a molar, but they represent the only ape whose remains have been preserved on the territory of the USSR.
Some Soviet scientists view this discovery as evidence that Transcaucasia is one of those areas of the world where the transition from apes to homo sapiens took place at the end of the Cenozoic era and the beginning of the Pleistocene.
The possibility of the existence of Stone Age man, from Lower Paleolithic times onwards, is confirmed by a number of important finds. Most of them were found in the valley of the Rioni River (Fasisa) and on the coast of Abkhazia.
Since 1914, when R. Schmidt and L. Kozlovsky conducted the first systematic study of settlements of the Stone Age period in Georgia and discovered flint tools belonging to the Aurignacian type culture in the Sakashi cave (near Motsameti, on the left bank of the Tskhaltsiteli River), and the Russians , and Georgian archaeologists explored many open and cave Paleolithic settlements. They managed to expand the chronological
frameworks that testify to the existence of an ancient culture even further back in time, and to obtain new and significant materials that make it possible to study the early stages of human life on our planet.
In 1958, an expedition of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, led by N. Berdzenishvili, confirmed the existence of the Abbeville culture of hand axes in a settlement in Abkhazia on the northwestern coast of the Black Sea. The tools discovered there are similar to obsidian items discovered in 1946-1948. Sardaryan and Panichkina in the settlement of Satani-Dar near Mount Bogatlu, located in Armenia, which was considered the most ancient archaeological site on the territory of the USSR.
The Acheulean culture, which replaced the Abbeville culture, is much less represented in Georgia and surrounding areas. In 1934-1936. An expedition led by S. Zamyatin (1899-1958) discovered a significant group, including about ten settlements dating back to this era. They are located along the Abkhazian coast of the Black Sea, mainly between Gagra and the mouth of the Inguri River. When peoples belonging to the Acheulean culture settled here, the level of the Black Sea was almost 100 meters higher than today. For this reason, the most significant finds, such as those made in Yakhtkva, three kilometers from Sukhumi, were located at altitudes of about 100 meters above modern sea level on coastal terraces.
Previously discovered Acheulean settlements are located near the village of Lashe-Balta in South Ossetia, in a region adjacent to the Main Caucasus Range from the south. The monuments of the Mousterian period are incomparably better represented in Georgia (archaeologists use this term to designate all eras and cultures dating from approximately 100 thousand to 40 thousand years BC, although many scientists prefer to call this culture Middle Paleolithic).
The finds at our disposal provide a vivid picture of the life of the first people on the territory of Georgia. Kerndl lists twenty-five Mousterian settlements located on the Black Sea coast in Abkhazia and Mingrelia (ancient Colchis) or the areas closest to them. Five settlements were discovered in the valley of the Rioni River, and another twenty in the basin of the Kura River (Mtkvari) and its tributaries.
Of greatest interest are the four Paleolithic cave settlements discovered by V.P. Lyubin in Kudaro, high in the mountains of South Ossetia. At the site of Kudaro, layers of Mousterian culture are superimposed on the remains of early Acheulean settlements, indicating almost constant occupation of the area over time.
The variety of animal bones discovered in huge quantities at Kudaro include the remains of a huge giant cave bear (almost two-thirds of its skeleton was found), as well as deer, roe deer, wild bulls, wild sheep and goats, red cave wolf, wolves, foxes, wolverines, panthers, wild boar, marten, field mice, bats and even a lemur. In the geological deposits of the Mousterian period, the remains of rhinoceroses, chamois, marmots, beavers, moles, otters, hamsters, hare and ermine were discovered. Recent discoveries of numerous artifacts in the vicinity of Samshvilde indicate that the area of ​​human settlement during the Mousterian period included Lower Kartli along the basin of the Khrami River, one of the tributaries of the Kura.
Of no less importance in the prehistory of Georgia is the Upper Paleolithic period, which lasted from approximately 40 thousand to 12 thousand years BC. e. It coincided with the late Ice Age, when the climate became especially harsh and the same temperatures as in the modern tundra or cold steppe established in this area.
At the same time, the transition to the Upper Paleolithic was marked by important changes in the life of primitive people. New technologies and forms of farming have appeared, changes have occurred in social organization, as well as in the physical characteristics of the person himself. In the appearance of a man, the features of a primate disappeared, a straight gait developed, his limbs changed, his hand resembled the hands of a modern person. The quality of flint products has improved significantly.
Carefully processed scrapers with blades of various shapes and triangular points made from flakes appear. Along with flint and obsidian, products made from bone, deer antler and mammoth tusks were used. Then the bow and arrows were invented. The shape of some stones and bone objects shows that they were attached to wooden handles to work. Accordingly, people's lifestyles have changed. Although hunting and gathering fruits and berries continued to be their main form of livelihood, improving the quality of tools and increasing their efficiency finally made it possible to move to a more sedentary lifestyle.
They began to build or dig permanent dwellings, the first religious beliefs appeared, the walls of caves were often covered with drawings and decorated with sculptural images and small objects. If there were not enough caves, then tents made of skins and even spacious dugouts were used to protect against the cold. They were dug in soft soil and covered with skins and turf on top.
Paleolithic dwellings of this type are widespread throughout Russia (Pushkari, Gagarino, Kostenki) and Siberia (Buret, Malta), where the possibility of using natural shelters was limited. Numerous remains of such dwellings have been discovered in mountainous regions, including the Caucasus.
The first Upper Paleolithic site in Georgia was discovered and described in 1916 by S. Krukovsky. It was located in the Gvardzhilasklde cave, near the village of Rgani in the Chiatura region of Imereti. These remains belong to the upper layer of the Magdalenian culture. A later culture of the Aurignacian type in Georgia was described by G. Nioradze (1886-1951), in an excellent monograph about the cave settlement in Devis-Khvreli, located 4 kilometers from Kharagouli, located in the Shorapan region, also located in Imereti (Western Georgia ). In addition to animal bones, a human jaw and many flint tools were also found at Devis-Hvreli. Based on these finds, G. Niorazde created a very expressive reconstruction of the daily life of Upper Paleolithic people in Georgia. In 1936, G. Nioradze continued research in the Sakazhia cave, located near Motsameti (not far from Kutaisi, the capital of Imereti), begun in 1914 by Schmidt and Kozlovsky. His findings were enriched by a large number of new finds, including the bones of a cave bear and a cave lion, an elk and a wild bull, fragments of human skulls and many remains of mineral paints.
Cave paintings dating back to the Paleolithic period are extremely rare in Georgia, their number is incomparable to those found in France and Spain. Therefore, the painting discovered in the Mgvimevi caves near Chiatura is of undoubted interest. They consist of seven geometric symbols marked with linear strokes. Note also that underground finds made in 1951-
1953 in the Sagvardzhile cave, located in the Dzevrula gorge in the Zestafoni region, P.Z. Kiladze and other scientists from Tbilisi, include primitive carved tools made of bone, among them an awl on which a fish is depicted, and its tail is decorated with ornaments. Jewelry, bone pins and a necklace with drilled sea shells are also found.
Considering the social organization of primitive man in Georgia and other places, Soviet scientists led by M.O. It was indirectly believed that during the Upper Paleolithic, a matriarchy, or clan system based on the rule of women, developed there, which persisted throughout the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. In accordance with
This theory in the subsequent Eneolithic or Chalcolithic eras marks a gradual shift of power from the eldest woman or clan leader to a man, in other words, a patriarchal system begins. However, there is no consensus on this issue yet.
The Neolithic Age, or New Stone Age, begins during the post-glacial period when the weather became warmer and the climate became more temperate. During the transitional Mesolithic period, 12 thousand - 5 thousand years BC. e., people gradually left their gloomy, damp caves and earthen dwellings. Accordingly, their way of life has changed, becoming more mobile and dynamic. Now they spent most of their time outdoors. Cave settlements were used only in cold weather or for protection from the raging elements.
Thanks to the semi-nomadic way of life, material traces of the activities of Mesolithic man were practically not preserved, with the exception of a few sites, for example, discovered by A.N. Kalandadze in 1936-1937 in the lower layer of the Odishi settlement, located near Zugdidi in Mingrelia. The stone tools and microliths discovered in Odisha are similar to similar finds from Iran and Iraq.
In the 5th and 4th millennia BC. e. In Georgia and surrounding areas one can observe the emergence of a Neolithic culture, which in numerous respects has points of contact with the Neolithic cultures of the Mediterranean, Asia Minor and Crimea. The culture of this period is characterized by polished and ornamented stone axes with slightly curved handles and smoothly polished tools in the form of a semicircular chisel and chisel.
In addition to the already mentioned settlement in Odisha, Neolithic settlements were located on the Black Sea coast, at Tetramidze near Kutaisi and in Eastern Georgia. Hunters, fishermen and gatherers lived here, but they also grew grain, as evidenced by the discovery of stone hand mills, flint flakes with small teeth that were used as blades for wooden sickles, and stone hoes and hoes.
In Colchis, agricultural activity has advanced much further; millet, wheat and rye are among the grain crops grown there. In the settlements of Reka and Anaklia, reserves of chestnuts, acorns and hazelnuts, as well as grape seeds, were discovered. Based on finds in Kistrika, located near Gudauta in Abkhazia, we
It is known that women spun wool and knitted simple clothes. Primitive ceramics also appeared. In Odisha, Kalandadze discovered remains of hand-made pottery with ornamental motifs in the form of individual lines or waves, and zigzag lines are also common.
This ancient ceramics from Transcaucasia, quite primitive in its manufacturing technique and art of ornamentation, is an undoubted predecessor of the Neolithic ceramic culture of Anatolia, superior in all respects, which already flourished around the 6th millennium BC. e.
Livestock breeding occupied a prominent place in the Neolithic culture of Georgia, which is confirmed by finds of bones of bulls, cows, sheep, goats and domesticated wild dogs. The findings prove that various types of animals were already widely domesticated in other areas of the Caucasus.

Gamarjoba! Please do not take the text below as the ultimate truth and treat this post with humor, but there is a certain amount of truth in my words! So, why should you never go to ?

• You'll get fat

The fact that I gained 3 kg in a month and a half in Georgia is not Georgia’s fault, but my lack of willpower, but a similar effect in the form of additional kilograms is observed not only in me.

Georgia has very tasty food. Juicy, fresh, and most importantly - fatty! Khachapuri with margarine, cheeses, khinkali, lavash and huge cakes will tempt even the most strong-willed person at every turn.

Impossible to resist!

• You'll start drinking

There is a cult of wine in Georgia. Literally in every village and in every house you will be treated to chacha and homemade wine. When I first got to Georgia, I had not drunk alcohol in any form for a long time, but three days later I drank my first glass of wine when I found myself in Georgia.

Behind him was the second, third and fourth. We were given wine as a greeting in the apartments we rented, they poured chacha for the meeting with the words that chacha was good for digestion.

Over time, I developed the habit of carrying a bottle of pomegranate or apple juice with me so that I could add a soft drink to a glass under the table without offending the Georgians. At the same time, she poured the wine into the bushes. Ugly, but what can you do?

• You will eat animals

Even if you are a convinced vegetarian, you won’t get far in Georgia with such a lifestyle. You either need to sit at home and not communicate with anyone, or be prepared for the fact that they will feed you delicious kebab, slip you khinkali with meat, or treat you to fried chicken.

Of course, in Georgia you can eat vegetables, fruits and side dishes, but the basis of Georgian cuisine is meat dishes and in order to experience Georgia, you will have to eat them!))

Offtop. I get asked from time to time about vegetarianism, so I’ll answer here. During my first trip to Georgia in 2013, I still somehow held on, but this year I let go of the situation and ate whatever I wanted. Over the past couple of years, my perception of this world has changed, and any extreme no longer fits into the concept of normality.

Long-term communication in Asia with vegans, people who practice dry fasting, home-grown yogis and lovers of celibacy in order to conserve energy made it possible to become convinced that happiness is not in what you eat and whether you do specific exercises, but in not throwing yourself into extremes, turning into a fanatic of teachings often imposed from outside.

The main thing is to listen to yourself, your body and do what is comfortable for you personally. My path is running (not yoga) and delicious food (including Brunswick sausage and chicken with cheese). Thus, although I rarely eat meat.

If it is more pleasant for someone to starve, eat plant roots, engage in philosophy and conserve sexual energy - this is your right, just do not judge others, lest you be judged.

• You will start talking to strangers on the street

• You will fall in love with a Georgian and your heart will break!

I am writing this point for girls. If you can take the previous lines as a joke, then I ask you to take what is written below seriously.

Don't fall in love with Georgians! Georgian men are handsome, passionate, sexy. They may pay you compliments, give you flowers and give you generous courtship. Unfortunately, as practice shows, most beautiful words remain words and deeds that are not supported in any way.

Georgians light up very quickly and burn out just as quickly, so do not rush to sell off your property and move to a Georgian village to live with your newly found loved one. Look at actions, not words. The concept of marital fidelity among Georgian men is also very vague.

I made similar conclusions based on personal experience, as well as experience in communicating with dozens of people. She asked her questions about relationships, about affairs with foreigners and about marital fidelity to Georgian men, Georgian women and girls who had relationships with Georgians.

Based on people’s responses, I formed the following rule for myself: “You can have a holiday romance with a Georgian without deep feelings for fun if you really want to, but it’s better not to have a serious relationship.”

Of course, dividing someone based on nationality and looking at a group of people from the bell tower of one’s own stereotypes is an imprudent matter. Everyone has their own unique qualities, everyone has gone their own way, which has nothing to do with the country in which a person was born, however, the environment, upbringing and example of other people have a certain influence on the formation of personality, which is why there is such a thing as mentality.

I’m used to writing on my blog only the truth and my personal opinion, don’t blame me if you didn’t like it. With my last point I don't want to offend anyone. I have Georgian friends whom I sincerely love with all my heart. These are wonderful, sympathetic, kind people who treat guests of their country with respect, but if we talk about love between a Georgian man and a woman from another country, then a number of questions arise.

About my new friend and dentistry in Georgia

How a Georgian scammed me out of $2000

I will be sincerely glad if, in the comments to this post, you want to shatter my skeptical attitude and give examples from life in which you or your friends have developed long-term relationships with Georgians, or simply share your knowledge and thoughts on this matter.

Flights to Georgia

If after all this you still decide to fly to Georgia, you can compare ticket prices in the sign. Here are the lowest prices for tickets Moscow Tbilisi Moscow (round trip) by month. You can select your city in the search terms, adjust the number of days and buy tickets online at the lowest price.

See you in Georgia! Sincerely,

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Georgians are proud and brave inhabitants of the Caucasus, guardians of the Golden Fleece, the best winemakers in the world and noble lovers of feasts. Even the half-joking legend about the creation of the world says that when God distributed the earth to all nations, the Georgians were late because they celebrated the universe and glorified its name. For Georgian sincerity, God decided to give them a piece of land that he was leaving for himself - the most beautiful in the whole world.

Name

Georgians call themselves Kartvelebi, or Kartvels, and the country - Sakartvelo, which means “country of Kartvels”. The name of the nationality comes from the name of the area of ​​Kartli, the main region of the country where its origin took place. Its first mention dates back to 800 AD.
The exonyms “Georgia” and “Georgia” have Persian roots and come from the word “gurg”, which was used to call the inhabitants of the region until the 10th century. The Georgians themselves believe that this name came to them on behalf of St. George, although there is no historical confirmation of this.

Where live

The majority of the nation's representatives live in Georgia. The country is located in western Transcaucasia and is washed by the Black Sea. The capital of the state is the city of Tbilisi. Georgians make up 86.8% of the country's population.
Among the nation, there are a number of ethnographic groups that differ from each other in areas of residence, dialects, and partly in elements of culture and traditions. The following small groups are distinguished:

• Adjarians - live in the southwest of Georgia in the Adjara region;
• Mingrelians - a sub-ethnic group of the Georgian people, have their own language and significant cultural differences;
• Svans - live in the historical mountainous part of Georgia, Svaneti, speak Georgian and Svan languages;
• Laz, Chveneburi, Imerkhev - live in Turkey, mainly profess Sunni Islam;
• Gurians and Imeretians - live in western Georgia in the regions of Guria and Imereti;
• Ingiloys are part of the Azerbaijani diaspora;
• Fereydans - live in Iran, faith - Shiite Islam.



During the years of the USSR, Georgians actively moved throughout the Soviet space; most of the migrants settled in Russia, quickly assimilating.

Number

The nation's representatives worldwide number more than 4 million people. According to the 2014 census, most of them - 3.2 million people - live in Georgia. According to the 2010 population census, slightly less than 160 thousand Georgians are officially registered in Russia, however, according to unofficial data, their number is about 350-500 thousand. In total, about 1 million Kartvelians migrated to Russia during the Soviet years.
In addition, there are large diasporas in:

• in Turkey - about 152 thousand people
• in Iran - 62 thousand people
• in Abkhazia - according to various estimates, from 40 to 70 thousand people
• in Ukraine - about 34 thousand people
• in Azerbaijan - 9.9 thousand people

Language

The Georgian language belongs to the Kartvelian family, widespread in the western part of Transcaucasia. The peculiarity of the language is a large number of long words and an abundance of consonants. There are no accents, but intonation is actively used to express the meaning and highlight the main root: therefore, sometimes it seems that Georgians are swearing during a conversation. The language is quite simple: there are no masculine or feminine genders, no capital letters are used, and all words are written the same way as they are heard.




Writing in the region originated in ancient times: some monuments dating back to the 5th century were created in the ancient Georgian language. However, the language itself began to form much earlier, back in the second millennium BC. The language is based on the speech of the inhabitants of the Kartli region, and the alphabet dates back to ancient Aramaic or Greek writing. The modern language is based on phonetic principles and is spoken by more than 4.2 million people worldwide.

Story

The modern territory of Georgia was inhabited by the ancestors of people millions of years ago. In 1991, a hominid called Dmanisi was discovered near the small Georgian city of Dmanisi. This is the oldest known representative of Homo that lived outside African territory.
It is not a fact that it was from this species of hominid that the Georgians descended, however, without a doubt, the nation traces its roots to the region of modern Georgia. Many tribes lived here already in the Neolithic and Paleolithic eras, building dwellings, engaging in primitive agriculture and cattle breeding, hunting and gathering.

"Golden Fleece" in Georgia

In the 5th-4th centuries BC, the region was first mentioned in written sources. At that time, the kingdom of Colchis was located on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, and Iberia was located in the east of modern Georgia. The first was mentioned by Herodotus, Aeschylus and Pindar, but most of all it became famous thanks to the legend of the Argonauts. The myth about the Golden Fleece, sent by the Greek gods, said that it was lost in Colchis. Then the hero Jason headed to a distant kingdom, as a result of which he obtained both the fleece and his wife Medea, the daughter of the Colchian ruler. In the center of Batumi there is even a sculpture dedicated to this: “Medea with the Golden Fleece.”




Iberia and Colchis did not last long: they were captured by the Romans, Greeks, Persians, and Arabs. However, it was during this period that the region adopted Christianity, and Tbilisi became the capital of Kartli, the central region of the region. Only in the 9th century did the Bagration dynasty expel the Arabs, unite the feudal states and form a single one - Kartli. From this moment the countdown to the formation of Georgian statehood can begin.

Renaissance and modernity

The 11th-12th centuries are considered the “Georgian Renaissance,” an era of construction and prosperity. During this period, the famous Queen Tamara ruled, who established the economy and relations with Kievan Rus. There was a flourishing of painting, literature, philosophy, architecture, and metalworking. Afterwards, a period of decline began, associated with endless wars with the Tatar-Mongols, the Ottoman Empire, the Persians, Iran, Tamerlane invaded the country eight times.
This situation persisted until the second half of the 18th century, until the Georgians turned to the Russian state for help, eventually becoming part of it. After the October Revolution, the people did not want to join the Soviets, but the unrest was suppressed. After the collapse of the USSR, interethnic conflicts began in the country, which led to the separation of the historical regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Appearance

Anthropologically, most Georgians belong to the Caucasian race, representing its Caucasian type. Its distinctive features include:

• tall or average height;
• strong physique;
• eyes brown, blue or green;
• dark brown, black or brown hair;
• “eagle” or straight nose with a slightly curved tip;
• bright skin;
• wide face with a narrowed chin and prominent jaw.



For a long time, Georgians were considered one of the most beautiful Caucasian peoples. Foreigners noted the athletic build of the men and the slimness of the girls, who retained their shape even with age. Immanuel Kant and Charles Darwin noted the incredible beauty of Georgian women and the fact that many Persians, Arabs, and Turks dreamed of marrying one of them in order to “ennoble” their blood and appearance.

Cloth

The Georgian men's suit is known far beyond the country's borders: its elements are found in the collections of modern designers around the world. The traditional version consists of wide trousers tied with tassels, a cotton shirt and a short caftan. The main element of the outfit is chokha, which is an outer garment, like a caftan, with wide, often split sleeves and a deep wedge-shaped neckline in the front.




Every Georgian should have had a Chokha, as it was considered a symbol of courage and bravery. Usually the chokha was black, less often red, and for a wedding they could wear beige or white. Often, pieces of cloth with rich embroidery were attached to it, on which family coats of arms were depicted. An obligatory element of the chokha is gazyri, compartments for storing cartridges. In winter, the look was complemented by a burka and a sheep's wool hat.
Women's traditional costumes varied depending on the region, but also had common features. Underwear consisted of a shirt and pantaloons; a dress was put on top: tight-fitting in the chest and wide, going down to the floor, in the lower part. The headdress was a tall velvet cap, to the back of which a piece of light material was attached. Rich Georgians complemented the look with a velvet cape and an elegant leather belt.

Men

A man has always occupied a leading role in family and social life. He resolved all public issues, was responsible for raising his sons, and fully provided for his relatives. In the family, the man was the head, the wife had to obey him in everything.
The men were distinguished by their warlike and hot-tempered character, but at the same time they had a cheerful disposition and loved jokes and large companies. One of the important elements of any man's life is having a best friend. It is called "jigari", which translates as "internal organs". Georgians believe that living without a best friend means living without a heart.




Women

Georgians loved and revered women, even in early mythology their sun was female, just like mother earth. In many ways, the attitude towards women was influenced by the famous Queen Tamara and Saint Nino, who, according to legend, was one of the first to bring Orthodoxy to Sakartvelo.
At the same time, until the 20th century, a woman had practically no rights: she could not vote, participate in discussions of public affairs, be in the company of men and give them advice, take an oath and be a guarantor.
The main purpose of a woman is to take care of family and household affairs and raise children. Infertile women were not respected; infidelity and even ordinary communication with strangers were also considered a shame. The main thing for Georgians is maintaining the rules of decency and a good reputation in society.




Family life

Since ancient times, the mentality of Georgians has been based on reverence for elders. They preferred to live in large kinship communities, the number of which could reach 100-150 people: several generations lived together with new families. Over time, families decrease to 30-40 people, and in cities, young families even prefer to settle separately from their parents after marriage.

The patriarchal way of life flourished in the family, and after marriage the bride moved into her husband’s house. For her, there was a ban on conversations with her parents and older relatives of her husband; housekeeping was her responsibility. The birth of a boy was a special holiday in the family, but the appearance of daughters, especially in large numbers, was undesirable.




Housing

The dwellings of Georgians varied depending on the place of settlement. The mountains were dominated by stone one-story buildings, located crowded together, fortified with towers and other defensive structures.

In flat areas, stone houses with earthen or thatched roofs, as well as wooden ones with gable roofs, were built. Some of the villages were crowded and chaotic, others were spacious, stretching along the rivers. On the plains, the Georgians had extensive estates with outbuildings and a main house.
Stone dwellings usually consisted of one large room. Opposite the entrance there were sleeping places, and in the center there was a large fireplace with a hanging cauldron, around which they dined, feasted and warmed themselves. Later they began to build two-story houses with covered terraces and canopies in front of the entrance. Usually in the basement there was a basement for wine production or storage of supplies, the living room and kitchen were located on the ground floor, and bedrooms on the second.

Life

Traditionally, mountain Georgians were engaged in cattle breeding: more often sheep breeding, less often raising horses and cattle. Arable farming predominated on the plains. The main crops were wheat, rice, rye, lentils, oats, millet, and corn. Georgians were engaged in beekeeping, gardening, and collecting wild herbs.
Winemaking has always played a special role in the life of Georgians: some researchers believe that it was the ancestors of the Kartvelebi who were the first in the world to learn how to make wine. No feast is complete without it; they must treat guests with it and make it for their own use. There was also a wine drinking culture. For example, a glass should always be drunk to the bottom; for special occasions, a hollow goat or ram's horn was used as a glass. There was also a saying: if wine makes you sad, then you are not Georgian.




In the 20th century, exotic crops began to be grown: laurel, tobacco, citrus, tea. It is not for nothing that during the Soviet years Georgia was called “the main country for holidays”: for the New Year it provided the country with tangerines and oranges, and for other holidays with wine, tobacco and tea.
Crafts flourished: men were famous for their skill in working metals, wood and animal horns, and produced magnificent jewelry dyeing. Women were engaged in weaving, producing wool and silk fabrics, and were engaged in artistic printing of fabrics. In all regions, luxurious embroidery with gold thread was valued.

Culture

The culture of Georgians is unusually rich. Folk art is represented by legends, tales, songs and dances. The dance is famous all over the world kartuli, spectacular and reflecting the mentality of the people. The woman plays a central, but indirect role in it: she moves smoothly, in small steps, as if floating with a timid expression on her face and her eyes fixed on the floor. Her partner, on the contrary, demonstrates confidence and masculinity, makes wide and sharp movements with his hands, and jumps high.




Georgians are no less proud of their musical creativity: not a single feast is complete without drawn-out, incredibly beautiful-sounding songs. Most of the songs are sung in polyphony, with the choir singing in the lower voice. The songs are dedicated to friendship, the heroic past of the people, love, devotion, honor.

Religion




Georgians were among the first to accept the Christian faith: according to popular belief, it was brought to the region by the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Most of central Georgia fully accepted the faith in the 3rd and 4th centuries, with the year 319 most often mentioned. In Western Georgia, Christianity finally took root only in the 5th century.

The Church in Georgia is autocephalous, that is, independent and completely autonomous: it managed to achieve this only in the 11th century. It is valuable that the people managed to maintain their religious affiliation, despite centuries of oppression by Islamic states: in the Middle Ages, all its neighbors were of the Muslim faith.
The 12th century Georgian chronicle “Kartlis Tskhovreba” mentions a legend about the biblical origin of the people. According to it, the Kartvelebi descend from Targamos, the son of the biblical Japheth: he was the son of Noah and was saved with him from the Flood in the Ark.

Traditions

Georgian hospitality is known throughout the world: according to ancient custom, anyone who asks for shelter is obliged to be accepted into the house with honors, fed and given lodging for the night. A rich table is laid for the guests and they are sure to treat them to wine: you cannot refuse.
There is a whole culture of feasts in Georgia: the people consider them a favorite pastime. The hostess of the house was always responsible for the abundance of dishes. At the same time, women sat separately from men: at the other end of the table or at a separate one.
For each feast, a toastmaster is chosen: he must ensure that the guests do not get drunk early, say toasts and pass the floor to other participants. By the way, the myth about long Georgian toasts is unfair: the average length of a dinner speech does not exceed 80 words.
To this day, wedding traditions have remained virtually unchanged. Usually the wedding took place through a conspiracy, and kidnapping was practiced only if they wanted to save money. According to tradition, in the event of theft of the bride, a magnificent feast was not arranged, celebrating only in a close circle. Usually the wedding was celebrated on a grand scale: all relatives on both sides were invited to it, and their refusal was considered an insult.




After the wedding, the bride was brought to the groom's house: before entering it was supposed to be lucky to break a painted plate. The newly-made husband climbed onto the roof of the house and released a white dove into the sky as a symbol of peace in the house. The wife, having entered the house, had to touch the hearth and walk around the pot of grain or oil three times.

Food

Georgian cuisine is one of the most popular in the entire post-Soviet space. It is noteworthy that most of the dishes have reached us almost unchanged. Since ancient times, the basis of the Georgian diet has been flour and dairy products:

• cheese made from sheep, cow or goat milk, including suluguni;
• matsoni;
• cottage cheese and cream;
• lavash, puri, shoti - bread made from wheat, rye, oatmeal or barley flour;
• mchadi - unleavened bread made from corn flour;
• Khachapuri is a flatbread made from puff pastry with cottage cheese or cottage cheese.



They ate a lot of vegetables (eggplants, tomatoes, beans, corn), herbs and greens: they were added to all dishes and served separately. A traditional everyday dish is gomi porridge made from corn or millet grains. The main drink was, of course, wine; in the mountains, arrack vodka and barley beer were popular.
Meat dishes were served only during feasts: they are the most popular in modern Georgian cuisine. Among them:

1. Khinkali: large dough bags with a thick tail. They are eaten with the hands, biting off the bottom to taste the broth.
2. Shish kebab made from lamb, turkey, beef or chicken.
3. Satsivi - a dish with sauce made from nuts and herbs with poultry meat.
4. Chakhokhbili - spicy chicken stew.
5. Kharcho - aromatic soup with beef.

Among the vegetarian dishes, it is worth noting lobio - a bean-based dish, pkhali - a mixture of greens, spinach and nuts, as well as ajapsandal - an eggplant appetizer with aromatic spices and herbs.

Famous Georgians

Georgians have given the world many outstanding personalities. Among those born in the 20th century, one can note a whole galaxy of talented artists and cultural figures. In the field of cinema, actor Vakhtang Kikabidze, who became a people's favorite after the film "Mimino", the impressive Oleg Basilashvili, directors Georgy Danelia and Otar Ioseliani, became famous. The latter received an award at the Cannes Film Festival for the film “Falling Leaves,” and Danelia directed everyone’s favorite films “I’m Walking in Moscow” and “Kin-dza-dza!”




Grigory Chkhartishvili has become a cult writer, although most people know him under the pseudonym Boris Akunin. No less famous are the sculptor Zurab Tsereteli, the outstanding ballet dancer Nikolai Tsiskaridze and the popular dancer Evgeniy Papunaishvili.




Georgians have also made their mark in politics: the names of Joseph Stalin, Lavrentiy Beria and Grigory Ordzhonikidze are known throughout the world. A huge contribution to medicine was made by surgeon Leo Bokeria, who developed a unique technique for performing heart surgery.




Known throughout the world for their vocal abilities, Georgians have conquered the stage. Among the famous names it is worth noting Tamara Gverdtsiteli, Zurab Sotkilava, Soso Pavliashvili, Konstantin and Valery Meladze, Keti Topuria, Grigory Leps (Lepsveridze).




In the field of television and media, one cannot help but mention the shocking Tina Kandelaki and Otar Kushanashvili.

Video

Many people are probably interested in who we are Georgians, where we came from and what Georgia is, this post will more or less give you light about us.

Self-name - Kartveli. The people, the main population of Georgia. The number in the Russian Federation is 130,688 people.

Language - Georgian Kartvelian group of the Caucasian family. Represented by 17 dialects corresponding to subethnic groups of Georgians. The writing probably dates back to a variation of the ancient Eastern Aramaic script.

The believers are Orthodox, some (Adjarians, groups of Meskhs and Ingiloys) are Sunni Muslims; There are small groups of Georgian Catholics.

Georgians are the ancient people of Transcaucasia. In ancient Eastern and ancient sources, the ancient Georgian tribes of the Mushki, Tubals, Khalibs, Geniokhs, Misimians, and Colkhians are known. The ethnic core of the Georgian people consisted of three large closely related tribal associations: Karts, Mingrelo-Chanovs, Svans, who in ancient times occupied a vast territory between the Greater Caucasus in the north, the Lesser Caucasus in the southeast and the Chorokh River basin in the southwest. At the end of the 2nd - beginning of the 1st millennium BC, significant tribal unions (Diaokhi, Kulha, Saspers) and the first states arose in this territory: in the 6th century BC, the Colchis kingdom was formed in the Eastern and South-Eastern Black Sea region, in 4th century BC in Eastern Georgia - the Kingdom of Kartli (in ancient sources - Iberia). The process of formation of the Georgian ethnic group was taking place, and a distinctive culture was developing.

An important historical stage in this process was the adoption of Christianity by the Georgians: in the 4th century in the Kartli kingdom, in the 6th century in Western Georgia, where by this time the Laz (Egris) kingdom had been formed. Another important factor in the process of Georgian consolidation was the creation of Georgian writing. The oldest surviving literary monument dates back to the 5th century.
The formation at the turn of the 10th-11th centuries of a centralized state, which reached the apogee of its development in the 12th - early 13th centuries, basically completed the process of formation of the Georgian ethnos, contributed to the growth of the economy and culture, the development of cities, and the establishment of broad cultural ties with Western Europe, Russia, and the East. The long period of decentralization that came after the Mongol-Tatar invasion in the 13th century led to the weakening and disintegration of a single state into separate kingdoms and principalities. In the 16th and 17th centuries, this condition worsened as a result of the aggression of Ottoman Turkey and Safavid Iran. The lands in southwestern Georgia - Lazika, Adjara, Meskheti-Javakheti - were captured by Turkey in the 16th and 17th centuries. The process of forced Turkification and Islamization of the local Georgian population began. Georgia remained in a state of severe political and socio-economic stagnation almost until the end of the 18th century.

In 1783, Russia and Eastern Georgia (the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti) concluded a “Friendly Treaty” (Treaty of Georgievsk), which provided for a Russian protectorate over Georgia. In 1801 the Georgian kingdom was liquidated. Eastern Georgia became part of the Russian Empire (by 1811 also Western Georgia). Until the end of the 70s of the 19th century, as a result of the Russian-Turkish wars with Georgia, some of its historical regions - Meskheti-Javakheti and Adjara - were reunited. The abolition of serfdom in Georgia (1864-71) contributed to the growth of national self-awareness of Georgians, the strengthening of their ethnic unity, changes in the social structure, and the development of professional culture.
In 1918, the Georgian Democratic Republic was created, which existed until February 1921, when units of the Red Army established Soviet power here. The Georgian SSR was formed (until 1936 as part of the Transcaucasian Federation, then directly as part of the USSR).
In 1991 Georgia adopted the Act of Independence. The armed conflict in Abkhazia in 1992-93 led to the forced migration of about 300 thousand Georgians to other regions of Georgia, as well as to Russia.
In Georgia, a complex economic and cultural type has long been formed, combining arable farming and cattle breeding. In the mountains, cattle breeding was dominant; in the foothills it was combined with developed agriculture, which was the main branch of the economy on the plain. They sowed wheat, barley, oats, rye, rice, and lentils; in Western Georgia the main crops were millet, gomi (chumiza), and corn.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, especially during Soviet times, subtropical crops have become widespread in the Black Sea regions of Georgia: citrus fruits, tung, and noble laurel. Tea culture is becoming increasingly important economically. The traditional occupations of the Georgians also included viticulture and winemaking, horticulture, vegetable gardening; auxiliary industries included hunting, fishing, beekeeping, sericulture, and collecting wild fruits and herbs.
Home industry and crafts have achieved significant development: weaving (making fabrics from wool, cotton, silk, flax), pottery, processing of metal, wood, stone, horn, jewelry, carpet weaving, artistic printed fabrics, making felt products (felts, buroks) , hats). Each natural zone of Georgia was characterized by certain types of arable implements: for the plains a large plow with a team of 8-10 pairs of oxen and buffaloes, for the foothills - a lightweight orkhela plow, for the mountains - a light arable implement such as a plow. Modern Georgians are employed in diversified industry, the service sector, and mechanized agriculture.