Every tourist going on a trip wants to know as much information as possible about the countries he will visit. Then, already on the spot, he replenishes his theoretical knowledge in the “living” in contact with the sights, national traditions and customs of the country. In our review, interesting facts about Georgia, to help those who plan to travel on this amazing and hospitable country of the Caucasus. Much of what tourists will find in this small country may surprise, but for residents of the Caucasus mountains, these are quite common phenomena in their daily lives.
Country of centenarians
One of the few countries in the world where a large number of centenarians live. Georgians believe that time spent with a guest in their own home is increasing in age.
Surely, every Georgian knows this legend, and with great pleasure invites strangers to visit his house.
The oldest ancestors of man
During the 1991 archaeological expedition in Dmanisi, the remains of the oldest ancestors of the human race were discovered and investigated.
It turned out that they belong to the male and female individuals, and they were given the names Zezva and Mzia, and according to anthropologists, they lived 1.7 million years ago. Today it is the most ancient remains of the Paleolithic man in the territory of the post-Soviet space.
Linguistics records
Interesting facts about Georgia contain such literary records. Among the lines of the famous Georgian poem “The Knight in the Tiger Skin” there is a word in which 11 consonants fit in a row - “vehhvtmbrdgvneli”. But it means "killing tigers."
And in everyday life, the Georgian people use a completely different unique word, in which 8 consecutive consonants are “gvprtskvnis”, translated into Russian as “it cleanses us”.
Greetings
The Georgian greeting of Gamardzhob, familiar to us, literally means a wish for victory. Good morning wish sounds in Georgian, like “Mshvidobisa”, which literally translates as “peaceful morning!”
Count?
A little more about the uniqueness of the Georgian language and account. From 1 to 20 Georgians consider the twenty-decimal system familiar to each of us. But from 20 to 100 is applied, we are moving to the decimal system, and Georgians continue to consider twenty. To say 85, you must say "4 times in 20 and 5".
Pets
To meet a goat, a pig, or a larger pet in the narrow streets of Georgian cities is a fairly common occurrence.
They freely mix independently around the city, and often become the causes of traffic jams and congestion. Sometimes such congestion drags on for several hours, because the animals do not pay attention to the screams of drivers and car horn.
Georgian wedding
Once at a wedding in Georgia, you will be surprised by the large number of guests invited to the celebration. The snowball principle applies here, and not only close relatives and friends come to the wedding, but also friends of friends, and those, in turn, call their friends with them.
If you were invited to a wedding in Georgia, you must definitely go, otherwise the refusal will be perceived as an insult and will aggravate relations.
The habit of not taking off your shoes
Many Georgians may not take off their shoes when visiting friends or acquaintances. But the owners will never make comments, because in this country it is not customary to offend a guest.
The owners will pretend cute that they did not notice if even on the soles of their shoes the guest brought dirt to an expensive palace, because there are different reasons why a person remained shod in the room.
Table etiquette
Like many peoples of the south, Georgians have decided to eat many products with their hands. They believe that in this way you can fully experience the taste of the cooked dish.
These include traditional barbecue, khinkali, and they are eaten without the help of cutlery, not only at home, but also in restaurants and cafes.
Song in Space
It's no secret that Georgians are some of the best singers in the world. It was this circumstance that served as the reason that in 1976 the American Space Agency sent a Georgian song into space.
This step was motivated by the fact that aliens with the help of such an unusual message will find out how beautifully the inhabitants of the Earth sing.
And here is this song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sWsuc223uk
Theft by consent
In some areas of Georgia you can still meet the oldest custom, when the groom, on the eve of the wedding, steals his beloved.
This does not surprise anyone, because most of these thefts occur with the general consent of relatives, and most importantly the lover of a horse and his chosen one.
Greek legend
Many people know the legend of Prometheus, who, because he gave people fire and taught them how to grow bread, Zeus ordered to be chained to a rock.
Georgians believe that the Greek hero was serving a cruel punishment in Georgia. In the famous Promethean caves. After all, behind the Golden Fleece, the Greeks sailed to Colchis.
"Good" policeman
If you have drunk pretty much and you urgently need to return home, you can contact the police patrol with a request to bring you home.
One of them must agree to play the role of a “sober driver” while the partner continues to patrol, or will accompany you behind in a police car.
Free communication
In the Georgian language there is no division into masculine and feminine, and understanding in communication comes already from the context and pronounced phrases.
In addition, there are no capital letters and the usual accent in words that is customary for us. So, pronouncing cakes in the Georgian word is much easier than in Russian.
Family traditions
Everyone knows that Georgians respect the older generation, but in the everyday life of a person of any age, no matter what the difference is in years, they are called by name.
Georgia has very strong family relationships, and relatives help each other. The father’s word in a Georgian family is a law that everyone obeys without question.
Musical records
We already wrote about the Georgian singer Katie Melua, who lives in England, who, having performed a concert at a depth of 303 meters, got into the Guinness Book of Records.
In the same year, 2006, albums from a small Caucasian country broke all records for sales in music stores in Europe and the UK.
Without hesitation
Another interesting phenomenon in Georgia is the habit of hanging clothes to dry in the most unusual places.
Georgian housewives hang it everywhere, and if you turn off the main streets of Tbilisi into residential quarters, you can see the clothes hanging on the balconies, on the ropes stretched between the houses and in the yard between the pillars.
Famous natives
Georgia can rightfully be proud of its sons. Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky was born and spent his childhood in Kutaisi. Under the hot Georgian sun, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also grew.
Among the famous natives, of course, one should name the “father of the peoples” Joseph Stalin, and the chairman of the NKVD Lavrenty Beria, the hero of the Patriotic War of 1812, Prince Bagration.
Beginning of the school year
In the Georgian capital, schoolchildren have a slightly longer vacation than their peers in other countries.
The fact is that in Tbilisi there is no clear start date for classes, and this start date for the school year ranges from September 17 to September 21. It all depends on the air temperature, and as soon as it is acceptable, students are notified of the start of classes.
Fight against corruption
During the reform period, Georgians radically acted with the most corrupt, in their opinion, structures - housing and communal services and condominiums.
They simply took and liquidated housing offices and partnerships of homeowners in the country.
Paid elevators
In most apartment buildings, where elevators are installed, the fare in them is paid. A coin acceptor is installed in them, and without receiving payment, the elevator will not move.
Where there are no such devices, locks hang on the doors, and they charge a month in advance and issue elevator keys. The funds mainly go to the maintenance of the lifting mechanism and improvement.
Toasts
Georgian toasts are real masterpieces of oratory and literary creation. A Georgian, raising a glass of wine, will never confine himself to a simple “For health!” or "For parents!"
The uninitiated must have patience to listen to a short story, similar to a legend or a parable pouring from the mouth of a toasting.
Available Attractions
The cordial hospitality of the Georgian people is also manifested in the fact that almost all the sights of this amazing country are free.
If you pay a fee when visiting some, then it’s quite symbolic, and only if necessary, maintain order of the monument of architecture or history itself.
Universal joy
Several days a year, residents of the two largest cities of Georgia - Tbilisi and Batumi take to the streets en masse to enjoy the snowfall.
This type of rainfall is unique in this part of the globe, and there are very few days of the year to express the general joy of the snow.
Geographic parallels
In the Middle Ages, Spain and Georgia on the maps and in life had the same name - Iberia. And the modern Basque language is vaguely reminiscent of the Georgian language.
And the modern name of Georgia in English is consonant with the American state of Georgia. And in August 2008 during the Russian-Georgian conflict, many Americans were surprised that Russian tanks ended up in America.
Hero Georgian
Many representatives of this nation took part in the Great Patriotic War, and many became heroes, while others did not return from the battlefields.
But it was Georgia, Meliton Kantaria, who, as part of a group of three soldiers, hoisted the Red Banner of Victory over the Reichstag, was highly honored.
Russian Georgia
It is known that from 1801 to 1917 this country of the Caucasus was part of the Russian Empire. Georgia’s accession to the Russian Empire was peaceful, and Russia pledged to provide military assistance to the Caucasian country.
There was a lot of interesting relations between the two nations, but the abolition of serfdom in the Georgian territories, to please the local landlords, took place 4 years later than in Russia, and this only happened in 1865.
The oldest winemakers
But a glorious country is also the oldest place on Earth where winemaking originated. During archaeological excavations of the settlement of bronze (approximately 3 millennium BC), vessels for storing wine were discovered in Georgia.
In Kakheti, archaeologists discovered a bronze statue of a man who holds a bowl of wine in his hand. The statue is dated to the 7th century BC. A golden belt was also of the same age, on which were depicted clinkable glasses of a man, found in one of the ancient burials.
So we have listed the main interesting facts about Georgia, and, as we see, some facts are shocking, but most are simply surprising. Georgians sacredly honor their national traditions, easily let strangers into their world, are hospitable and friendly.
By hospitality, this Caucasian country, perhaps, takes first place in the world, and its freedom-loving and proud people are worthy of respect.
Article author: Valery Skiba