Traditions

                                                                  Public holidays

            In the 70s and 80s of the last century, the public holiday "Garejoba" was very popular in Sagarejo. Since 1988, even this holiday has been celebrated only once, in 1997. The population of Sagarejo Municipality highly appreciates and never forgets such beautiful and important traditions.

At the initiative of Sagarejo Municipality Mayor Giorgi Erbotsonashvili, it was decided to restore this interesting and spectacular holiday 21 years later in the same place and format as it was first held on May 16, 1976.

"Garejoba 2018" was held on May 19 near the Chichkhaturi Tower, organized by the Sagarejo Municipality, the City Council and the Bureau of the Majoritarian MP. The public holiday was attended by the population of the municipality and local self-government employees: State Representative in the Kakheti Region - Governor Irakli Kadagishvili, representatives of the Ministry of Culture and other state agencies and honorary guests.

The celebration was opened by the speech of Sagarejo Municipality Mayor Giorgi Erbotsonashvili, Sakrebulo Chairman Otar Chalatashvili and Sagarejo AIP Cultural Facilities Director Besik Ghvinashvili, who congratulated the large audience on the occasion of the holiday and the national significance of the holiday.

A traditional horse race was held, in which Luka Margiani, a resident of the village of Udabno, gave the first place.

Paintings by Sagarejo artist Tamar Ioramashvili, works by wood carving master Tsatsa Zuliashvili and Georgian folk handicrafts by Tea Buzariashvili were exhibited.

Georgian wrestling competition and a concert loaded with various numbers were held in parallel.

According to the tradition, Chedila was awarded as a prize for the winner of the wrestling, which was awarded to Lasha Matiashvili.

The concert, which was led by Paata Kvlividze, an actor of the Mikheil Chiaureli National Theater in Sagarejo, opened with a performance on the historical theme "Garejula" prepared by the same theater. Patriotic themes were performed by folk and choreographic ensembles operating in Sagarejo, along with songs performed by the music group "Brothers" and the ensemble "Alilo". The concert was decorated with the premiere of Marina Shanidze's song - performed by singer Tato Goderdzishvili and the performance of Ivana Kotiash-Elerdashvili, a member of the Ukrainian music group "musik-bomb". The audience was greeted from the stage by the Danish guest and his Georgian hosts, who are planning to hold a youth festival in the village of Udabno this fall.

As it was announced, another tradition was revived: at the end of the event, Sagarejo Municipality Mayor Giorgi Erbotsonashvili awarded the title of "Honorary Garejeli" and awarded medals to meritorious people in Sagarejo living in various fields: Givi Onashvili, Z. Gulikashvili, Tamar Gotsiridze, Lena Anuashvili, Ilia Kvlividze, Alexander Elerdashvili (after death). 

                                                                           Wormwood

         Chiakokonoba - ancient Georgian ritual - the day of purification by fire. It is based on the ancient notion of fire as a force against evil spirits and a purifier of all impurities. Wormwood was celebrated by different people on different days of the year: Cheese Monday, Saturday of the first or last week of Lent, Ivanoba, etc. Wormwood was known in Georgia on Holy Thursday or on the eve of Holy Thursday. A bonfire was lit in the yard, young people ran around the fire, danced, jumped on top of them and shouted "Aruli Kudianebsao". According to legend, when jumping on a bonfire, a person is cleansed of evil spirits. Inflammation of the wormhole and jumping on it was mainly a prelude to the fact that the tails could not hurt anyone and the morning would dawn peacefully. Rifles were fired to protect and chase the Kudians, Avi souls. According to popular belief, the Kudians would gather at a certain place this or the next night and celebrate. A similar custom was common in almost all parts of Georgia, including Kakheti and Tavad Sagarejo.

                                                                        Berikaoba

Berikaoba - Georgian Folk Improvisational Masks Theater. The term berikaoba refers to the glorious spectacle of the cult of fertility and adoption and is derived from the common Kartvelian root "ber" (son).

Berikaoba was performed by Berikas. The scenarios on which the Berik ideas were based were changed over the centuries, enriched with new content, and passed down from generation to generation. Their incarnation and verbal incarnation depended entirely on the talents and skills of the Beriks. Reminiscent of the glorifying mystery of the deity of fertility and adoption preserved in the Berik representations (e.g. in the village of Sabue in the Kvareli district, as well as in the village of Ude in the Adigeni district, in the village of Matani in the Akhmeta district.

In the course of time Berikaoba lost its cult-religious significance and became an expression of the life of the working people, its aspirations. Many stories of Beriks contain pictures of the struggle of the Georgian people against foreign invaders, scenes exposing the activities of princes, church ministers, judges. We have about 100 stories of Berikaoba. Most of them are comic and mostly created on a household theme. Berikaoba was of three types: door-to-door, playground and entrance (festive). A large barricade was held on a specially selected pitch, sometimes with up to 100 performers. His traditional masks were: king (bridegroom), kekela (bride), matchmaker, peasant, prince, Tatar, judge, doctor, khutses, as well as takhi, bear, goat and other animals.

Beriks also symbolized inanimate objects and detached concepts (e.g., the Alaverdi temple, the saddle, the tree, the inverted life, the utterance, etc.). They played in nabadkuda masks, "sitting" in the skins of goats, bears, goats, bulls and others (beriko). Only men participated in the Great Barricade (women and adolescents barricaded separately). The performance began with the imagination of the enemy raping the village and paying tribute, accompanied by song and instrumental music. Berikaoba was headed by Berikata. Famous Beriks in Georgia were Otar Norioeli and Oiana-Buiana in the XVIII century, in the first half of the XIX century - Abel Revazishvili. Beriks also appeared in Tbilisi in the 20th century. 

                                                                   

                                                                 Face (gentlemen)

       The pagan Ibero-Caucasians believed that man himself does not become ill, but sends sickness to a deity who is angry with him or an evil spirit. Therefore, in addition to folk medicine, they also often resorted to magical-religious treatment. They thought that remedies would not have such a good effect if they did not thank the deity either. The Ibero-Caucasian folk medical culture and the vast knowledge that has developed over the millennia include both medical and ritual practices. Excavation materials from all archeological epochs (especially the Bronze Age) throughout the Caucasus, and especially in the territory of present-day Georgia, are abundant in medical tools and utensils, treated bones, surgical tools, etc.

        Among the words denoting disease in Old Georgian are "sickness," sen, which are antonyms of truth. It is related to the ancient notions of the structure and life of the world. Sen means disturbance of balance, truth. The most common term is "illness". It was not meant, but to be bad at all. To which, in addition to medicinal activities, magical spells were performed.

      The term "face" was coined to refer to contagious epidemic diseases, indicating that once a "disease" had spread, a person would not be exposed to the disease a second time, and that was exactly the case.

To make the gentlemen go quietly. It was sung lullabies.

                                                                          Vintage

        It is called the cradle of Georgian wine, not unjustly, this fact has been historically confirmed. Beans of ancient vine varieties have been found in Georgia, which confirms the ancient tradition of vine production. Wine production has its own traditions, a culture of separate Georgian spirits has been created, which is reflected not only in the daily life of the nation, but also in literature, culture, architecture. Importance in the history of the nation.

Even now it is about wine, unleashed vintage, that is why we decided to look to the past and revive the Georgian vintage from Ivane Javakhishvili's group.

      "The vintage was called Stveli in ancient times. The process of picking the visible fruit was then described in two different words - coming and sharing. The first changed its face and remained, while the second disappeared almost without a trace. Even today, if they sit on the top of the pot and break the mother's bread, they will probably remember last year's fall and drop the word about harvesting this year's crop. The vineyard was still called the vineyard in ancient times. The archaic eloquence of this word, in my opinion, reveals an aversion to wine as a real liquid. The time of grape picking depends on the variety and the weather. So, usually in early Georgia, grapes were picked and crushed in October. This is evidenced by the two names of this month - the month of Stuell and the month of wine. The qualities of the vineyard and the wine were tested by the farmer. Vakhtang VI's Dasturlamal says that "if the memarne likes and chooses and wants", he should be punished. Grape picking had its allotted time and should not have lasted long. One or two men could not handle this arduous task. In addition to Mezvre and Mestvele, a sufficient number of people were involved in this case. The clusters were either cut by hand or cut with a knife and neatly assembled in large or small volumes. The grapes were first put in a basket, when the basket was full, Godor was greeted. Sulkhan-Saba explains to us, the basket is a small Godoria. In Imereti, Goddard used to smoke Godri. Gidel was also used in Guria and Samegrelo. When the man on the tree filled the guide, he threw a rope in the holes, lowered it and shouted: "A. Guide." Who has not heard the beauty of Gurian folklore, the wonderful song "A. Gideli". Along with the ritual patience in this song, the peasant's impatience and stubbornness are also astonishing. It is a peculiar anthem of labor accompanied by joy and enthusiasm for innovation. And here comes the time of pressure! The word "pressure" was coined when the grapes were crushed and crushed together. Satsnekheli or winepress is a pool made of elongated rectangular whitewash in Kartli-Kakheti. Its bottom is sloping to one side and has a groove at the bottom to drain the squeezed grape juice. The men in the press squeeze the wine together hand in hand. This is a peculiar apotheosis of the arrival of ripe fruits. It is a beautiful place, distinguished by its harmony and support. The winepress had different names in different parts: in Kartli-Kakheti it was also called a boat, in Imereti, the winepress and Onjaro, in Racha - Khorgo and Chachrila, in Guria-Samegrelo - Ochinakhi, Jirakva and Jeruki. Grape crushing has its own rules and technology. Mtsuravi tries to keep the chacha and clert in the winepress and pour the juice into the pit. In the fifties of the XIX century in Kakheti for this purpose "press latana" (Saba) was used. This latan or last was called topkir. Topkir was a device similar to a sieve. Of course, there was a peculiar experience of crushing grapes in all parts of Georgia. For example, in Racha they used a press called Chakhrak. The chakra was a rather complicated device. In terms of complexity, it was not inferior to other Rachuli press - tsberi. In general, pressing equipment has its history in Georgia. There were devices with different structures in each corner. Hence they had their name. The ancient press was Sakachavi, the same Sakajavi, or Sakajveli, used in Eastern Georgia and Imereti. Chakhrak (already mentioned) was used in Guria besides Racha; We have already talked about beard; There was another Kharkhini, the same Kharkhimi. They were used in Imereti and Racha. Naturally, the grape juice also needed watering, i. A deposit of a certain capacity. Therefore, in ancient Georgia, the winepress was not only considered as a pressing device, but also as a unit of measurement. The amount of grape juice was always strictly defined. This or that stock of wine must have been with the family for some time. Among other sources, the most common were coca and chaff. According to Dasturlamal, Shulavri Mouravi used to get one coca sweet from the winepress every year, instead - he had to get two chafis. The units of measurement for wine were also coca, batman, tung. The capacity of the pitcher was determined by the amount of coca. For example, very large shells were made in Guria, each of them had 200-300 kokians. In both Guria and Samegrelo, the heads of the pitchers were so narrow that

                                                                         Tatarism

      Description: Tataraoba - the culmination of autumn in Kakheti. At this time we gather family members, relatives, we prepare, we put nuts and nuts on the threads, Babo prepares the mash, the fire is lit in the oven and we wait for the sweetness to spill out of the pot. Do you know when Tatar is ready? When you find seven stars in the pot. The boiling bubbles burst in the shape of a star, first one, then the other, and so on. When you count to seven, Tatara is ready to rise to the church.

                                                                    Kakhetian supra

          Georgian supra has its own special features, which are different in every corner. Get to know a few of them.

  The most characteristic toast of the Gurians is considered to be the first, that is, the toast of peace. So much for the essence of peace in Guria, first of all, it indicates how high a peace these people have. Indeed, did they want less peace in other parts of our country? Were there fewer battles and troubles in other parts of the country, even in the same Kartli, Kakheti, or even Meskheti-Javakheti than in Guria? The essence of peace, as it turned out, was understood and understood by most Gurians. According to a Gurian man, a drink (more like vodka), no matter how strong it is, in the Gurian dialect, whatever it's to "drink" and even if you can drink only three glasses, you must drink one of these three for peace, because peace is the highest.

The dead are especially remembered in Guria, because they know that the younger generation raised on such a rule imitates them, and when the elders die, they will not be forgotten after death.

 The load and importance of tamad on the Kakhetian table is immeasurable. According to many, Tamada is a dictator at the Kakhetian table. His toasts should be eaten by everyone (men) throughout the table. If this does not happen, ie "control is violated", then the Kakhetian tamada, considering herself a debtor, orders the member of the table to "cut her finger" as a sign of "surrender". Kakhetian supra is usually a marathon in Sma, but this does not mean that the toasts uttered there are not a continuation of Georgian historical traditions. If the ancient cultural types of toasts are preserved somewhere, it is first of all in Kakheti.

It is not accidental that in the excellent Georgian short film "Wine Thieves", Kakhetian shepherds drink chicken on the palm of their hand while blessing the little ones and drink this toast with his generosity. This is not just a metaphor really. Kakheti, as you know, has always been in danger of being destroyed by the enemy, and every little creature (even a chicken) born there was considered to be the birth of new hope. Also in Lado Asatiani's poem "Lkhini with the Kakhetians" very well reflected Asatiani, a Kakhetian supra seen through the eyes of a Lechkhumi man - all this peculiarity of toasts, which is preserved in some places today. In Kakheti, in addition to being better in drinking, men also compete with each other in making delicious and impressive toasts ..

                                                                    Kakhetian wine

Georgia is an ancient country of winemaking - the first cultivars of grapes originated here. The unique geographical location and diverse soil create ideal conditions for the development of viticulture and winemaking.

History of Kakheti viticulture BC წ. Rev. VI millennium BC. The grape seeds discovered by archaeologists are of this age and they are the oldest in the world, which once again proves that Georgia is the homeland of vines.

According to scientists, the word itself - "wine" ("vin", "wine", "vine", etc.) is of Georgian origin. 500 out of 2000 world famous grape varieties are Georgian.

Archaeological excavations have uncovered Bronze Age artifacts, ancient wine cellars, cellars, wine vessels made of clay and metal, and more. Discovered before IX-VII centuries BC. A figure of a man drinking wine, which is also a symbol of fertility. Wine vases made of gold, silver and bronze, decorated with precious stones and vines ..

The spread of the Christian religion in Georgia is connected with the vine culture, St. Nino entered Georgia with a vine cross and preached Christianity. Georgian temples are often decorated with images of vines.

There were primitive wine factories in Georgian churches and monasteries, here you will still find cellars and wineries. Remarkable are the IV century wine cellar found in Nekresi, the remains of a winery in the Ikalto monastery complex. An ancient forty-cellar cellar has been discovered on the territory of Alaverdi Cathedral, the tradition of making monastic wine continues here today.

There is a unique wine cellar in Kvareli district, which is located in a tunnel cut into the rock. The length of the tunnel is 13.5 km. The warehouse maintains a constant temperature of 14 to 16 degrees at all times of the year, which is ideal for wine aging. Georgian vintage wines are still aged in the warehouse.

Both historically and architecturally, Al. Enoteca built of bricks in the XIX century, located on Chavchavadze estate, with its collection of precious wines. The oldest drink in the collection - "Polish Honey", dates back to 1814.

Kakhetian technology of wine making

Wine is made in every family in Kakheti. Peasant-made wine is not equal to well-known branded wines.

Traditionally, the harvested grapes are placed in a special building - a cellar for processing. A winepress is used to finish; The obtained juice is poured into a pitcher buried in the ground - it is made into wine and stored there.

Leather sacks - teak and rum - are used for transporting and storing wine.

Specially made clay jars are used for wine drinking. Traditionally used - also - a vessel made of horn, goat or goat horn.

                                                                          Cellar

The cellar, mainly built near a house or vineyard, uses stone or brick as a building material. We also find capitally built cellars - made of processed stone and decorated with ornaments, which belong to a series of architectural monuments.

The cellar is usually equipped with a wine cellar and a pitcher. Often the wine is accompanied by its pressing, for which we find the table folding attributes in the cellar.

                                                                  Winepress

        The grapes are cut in stone or made of wood, in a winepress. Its base, from which the liquid flows, is covered with a net of fennel and fern. The peasant stood in the winepress and crushed the grapes on foot, accompanied by songs and shouts. This tradition of wine tasting is no longer followed today, it can be seen only at wine festivals and theatrical performances.

                                                                           pitcher

           A pitcher is used to set and store wine. It is made of clay that undergoes special burning and processing. To maintain the temperature of the wine, the made pitcher is held in the ground; The grape juice poured into it was hermetically sealed before the final setting of the wine, it was opened only during whirling and to make chacha. Nowadays wine is rarely put in pitchers, it only has the function of storing wine;

During archeological excavations, pitcher culture has been discovered in ancient strata. There was also a tradition of sacrificing a pitcher to the church. Church - In the monasteries you will still find ancient pitchers.

                                                                 Vintage

                   In Georgia, grape picking is called vintage. The harvest usually begins in late September and lasts for two weeks. In Kakheti, the vintage is a labor holiday, the population is especially preparing for the vintage. Grape picking starts early in the morning and lasts until late in the evening. It is accompanied by folk songs dedicated to this event.

Spinning basket - Godor is used for picking grapes. Vintage, neighbors and relatives, arriving guests & # 4320; At the end of the working day, people gather at the table, where the vintage holiday is celebrated with special joy.

In Vino Verita - From Past to Present

               We find many microzones in the not so big territory of Kakheti: including Kvareli, Manavi, Tsinandali, Mukuzani and others. The name of Kakhetian wines is mainly derived from the name of the place. Of the many vine varieties in Georgia, Rkatsiteli and Saperavi grape varieties are mainly used in the wine industry today; A unique wine is obtained by combining aboriginal vine varieties with European technology.

            Today there are many large and small wineries in Kakheti. Most of these factories make European-made wine. The factories are equipped with modern equipment, the latest technologies of wine making are provided. Today, Georgian wine is sold in many countries around the world and is not equal to the best European wines. He has received numerous awards and medals at international exhibitions and fairs.

                                             Tasting halls are specially arranged for visitors in Kakheti wineries.

Every autumn, at the end of the grape picking - the "Wine Festival" is held - guests are treated to wine and Georgian dishes prepared in front of them.

It is possible to taste both peasant wine made with Kakhetian technology, as well as wine made according to European rules. Concerts of folk song and dance ensembles, various theatrical performances are held. Exhibition-sale of handmade items is held. Peasants offer family-run wines to festival guests, while wine companies host their own products.