Legends and traditions of Georgians invariably amaze the newly arrived vacationers. The unusual way of life of local residents, a temperamental manner of communication, immense friendliness and the desire so unusual for a resident of central Russia to invite a stranger to visit him for at least one glass of wine, introduces a plain dweller into a stupor and the suspicion that he found himself somewhere else planet, but it is called Georgia …
Georgia is a country with many legends. One of them says that when God was distributing the earth among the peoples, the Georgians were busy with a feast on the occasion of the creation of the world. Having raised toasts, they nevertheless came. But it turned out that they were late. Then the Georgians said: "Sorry, dear, we were late - we drank to your health."
God thought and said: “I have saved a piece of land here for myself, but for your spontaneity and directness I give it to you! Remember that the earth is very beautiful and cannot be compared with anything, and people will admire and admire it in all ages."
Even if this small mountainous country does not mislead you with its size, believe me, there are so many incredible and curious things in it that it will not be enough to see them all and a very long vacation.
1. Georgia is considered a country of long-livers. According to one of the legends, the time spent with the guest is not counted towards the age of the living. Now it is clear why they are so hospitable?
2. In the famous Georgian poem "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" there is the word "vefkhvtmbrdgvneli", consisting of 11 consonant letters in a row, but in everyday speech such a record belongs to another word of 8 consonants in a row - "gvprtskvnis".
3. The wedding is celebrated with a very large number of guests, including not only close relatives, but also friends of friends. Refusal to attend such an event can lead to a serious aggravation of relations. Therefore, if you are invited to a wedding, then you should not refuse, the more it is worth it.
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4. Often, Georgians do not take off their shoes when they come to visit, and the owners will rarely say something about this. You cannot offend a guest, even if he brought dirt on his shoes and walked across the carpet in the hall, and suddenly his sock is full of holes.
5. In the national Georgian cuisine there are certain dishes that are eaten with the hands, thus savoring it. For example, kebabs and khinkali should be eaten exclusively by hand, even in restaurants, without the help of cutlery.
6. The Georgian song "Chakrula", in 1976, NASA sent into space, as a message to alien races, so that they appreciate the musical abilities of mankind.
7. There are still cases when the groom can steal the bride, although now this is done with the mutual consent of the newlyweds.
8. Although young people have a sense of respect for their elders, most often they are simply called by name, including the children of their parents.
9. Europeans call Georgia Georgia, Russians call it that, and Georgians call their country Sakartvelo.
10. Being drunk, but having the need to return somewhere by car, you can politely explain the reason to the policeman and there is a high probability that one of them will agree to act as a "sober driver", while his partner will drive behind.
11. The stress on a certain letter or syllable so familiar to us is absent in the Georgian language, along with capital letters, both male and female, which is later clarified from the context.
12. Family relations and family ties are very strong here, and the words of the father do not stand up to criticism.
13. In 2006, a native of Georgia became the best-selling singer in Europe and Great Britain. In the fall of the same year, she entered the Guinness Book of Records for performing the deepest concert in the world, at a depth of 303 meters in the North Sea.
14. Three Georgian brothers: Sergo, David and Alexi Mdvivani, in the 20-30s of the XX century, were known as notable marriage swindlers on both sides of the Atlantic. An interesting fact is that in the end they enriched themselves due to their numerous marriages to famous and wealthy people for half a billion dollars, and this at that time!
15. One of the greatest Russian poets of the 20th century, Vladimir Mayakovsky, was born and raised 25 km from Kutaisi, in the city of Bagdati. Prominent Russian politician Sergei Lavrov was also raised under the warm Georgian sun.
16. It is convenient to travel around Georgia by hitchhiking - many drivers will be ready to give a ride to a hiker absolutely free of charge and will have time to tell several local legends along the way.
17. Another interesting fact is that Georgians are used to hanging clothes everywhere. If you go into the old courtyards-wells in Tbilisi, then you can undoubtedly see linen stretched between the balconies. In high-rise buildings, the rope is thrown to the nearest post and calmly dried their towels.
18. A citizen of Russia can easily obtain Georgian citizenship and have dual citizenship, but vice versa it is impossible.
19. Georgians use the 20-digit number system. That is, to name any number, for example, between 20 and 100, you need to count how many twenty it consists of, name this number and the remainder. For understanding: 48 - two-twenty-eight, 97 - four-twenty-seventeen.
20. The fact that the oldest shards of wine jugs and the oldest vines were found on the territory of Georgia allows the locals to call their country the birthplace of wine.
21. Only Georgians in the age of the Soviet Union speak Russian, the younger generation focuses on English. However, with the development of the tourism industry and the ever-increasing flow of Russian-speaking tourists, the demand for young people with knowledge of the Russian language is constantly increasing.
22. Georgians are very fond of and proud of their homeland. Even leaving abroad, they try to return by earning money or live in a foreign land, but they never forget who they are by blood.
23. The dominant religion in Georgia is Christianity, not Islam, as many think.
24. Thanks to Saint Nino, who lived for many years in the Bodbe Monastery, Georgia adopted Christianity at the beginning of the IV century, and this was earlier than the baptism of Kievan Rus. Until now, they remain very religious and believing people.
25. At the beginning of 2000, tourism began to develop in the country, including winter tourism, and now there are several modern ski resorts there: Gudauri, Bakuriani, Tetnuldi and Goderdzi.
26. The local population, like most southerners, is accustomed to living today. Roughly speaking, I received a payday today, which means you are walking with friends in a restaurant to the fullest, and tomorrow your teeth are on the shelf and walk to work.
27. Corruption and bureaucracy have been practically eradicated in Georgia.
28. There is a stereotype that Georgians do not like Russians - this is not so, they have long understood that the population is not responsible for what the upper classes do. If a person is good, then his nationality does not matter.
29. Arriving at the market and deciding to buy a thing, you first need to bargain. With a taxi driver, too, and wherever the price is not clearly indicated.
30. When Georgian children call their parents mom and dad in the presence of Russian-speaking tourists, they are very surprised at what they hear. In Georgian, mom sounds like "deda", dad is "mom", grandmother is "beboa", and grandfather is "babua" or "dad". Therefore, do not be surprised when you see on the street how children address their fathers with the words "mom".
31. National folk dances and songs of Georgians are recognized by UNESCO as a masterpiece of the cultural heritage of mankind.
32. One of the highest mountain settlements in Europe, in which people live all year round, is the small village of Ushguli, which is located in Upper Svaneti at an altitude of 2.300 meters.
33. The territory of Georgia is literally packed with mineral springs, of which there are about 2.5 thousand.
34. If you get into the house of a Georgian family, you will never leave hungry and, more often than not, sober - the owners will roll out all available supplies onto the table, even if they are the last.
35. Have you heard the ancient Greek legend about the Golden Fleece stolen by Jason and the Argonauts? It was a long time ago, but the events of that time developed exactly in the place where modern Georgia is now.
36. When the Greeks discovered Georgia, they called it the "Land of the Rising Sun".
37. The well-known ancient Greek hero Prometheus, who gave people divine fire, for which he was punished by the gods and chained to a rock, is rumored to be somewhere in the bowels of the Prometheus cave.
38. There is no set start day for schoolchildren in Tbilisi. It is in the interval between September 17 and 21 and is determined depending on the temperature level outside.
39. There is no central heating and hot water in Georgia. Residents independently install gas and electric heaters not only in the private sector, but also in modern apartments.
40. Housing and communal services and homeowners' associations habitual to us have long been eliminated as unnecessary and a large corruption and bureaucratic component.
41. An interesting feature of the majority of Georgian elevators, in multi-apartment buildings, is toll travel. They have a special coin acceptor and require a couple of tetri for the opportunity to ride this miracle of technology. Sometimes there are locks on the elevator, and the fee is collected from the tenants every 30 days, so to speak for a monthly pass.
42. “Tapaka” is a kind of Georgian frying pan in which “Chicken Tapaka” is cooked, but across the seas and continents the name has changed, becoming familiar to our ear “Chicken Tobacco”.
43. Georgian toasts are not limited to the banal “For parents” or “For love” - they are like a short story that carries a certain meaning. Get ready that there can be a lot of toasts, and they themselves are often long.
44. In some cities of Georgia, for example, in Tbilisi and Batumi, snow that fell in winter is considered to be something extraordinary, so everyone, young and old, take to the streets to rejoice at this event, because there are only a few such days a year.
45. Most of Georgia's attractions are free, and if you need to pay something, the price will be small.
46. Do not be surprised to see how Georgians kiss on the cheek when they meet. This tradition does not depend on gender and age - when they come to visit, they kiss everyone.
47. In the old days, Spain and Georgia had the same name - Iberia. And the language of the Basques, a people living in northern Spain and southwestern France, is very similar to Georgian.
48. Livestock in the form of goats, sheep, cows and pigs feel quite comfortable in Georgia. They wander all day wherever they please, often provoking small traffic congestion and completely ignoring the annoying beeping.
49. One of the first three soldiers of the Red Army to plant the Victory Banner on the roof of the Nazi citadel in Berlin on May 1, 1945, was the Georgian Meliton Kantaria.
50. In the Georgian language, the closest analogue of our "thank you" is, translated into Russian, "for nothing." Those. You gave a man a house, you said thank you, and you proudly answered "yes, not for what."