As the year comes to a close and we prepare to transition to the next phase of our lives, it’s always fun to learn how to say “happy new year” in different languages. If you’re planning on traveling to Georgia or have friends or family who speak Georgian, you’ll want to know how to wish them a Happy New Year in Georgian.
But how do Georgians celebrate the new year? Is it different from how we’re used to it? We’ll also discover the culture of Georgians when they’re with family, friends, and loved ones. That’s not all – the Georgian language has a rich and complex system of verbal forms that can express different levels of politeness and formality.
As a result, there are several ways to say happy new year in Georgian, depending on the context and the person you’re speaking to. At the end of this post, you can confidently say a happy new year to your friends and loved ones from Georgia. So stick around!
How Do Georgians Celebrate New Year?
It’s that time of the year again when everyone will look back and feel that the year has passed so fast. Have you learned a few words or languages while doing so? Why not try languages if you decide what you want for that new year’s resolution? Especially, Georgians Happy New Year is culturally different from the rest of the world.
Did you know that Georgians celebrate the new year twice? This practice is similar to celebrating a Chinese New Year, as they have different calendars than what we’re used to. However, unlike the Chinese, that respect the traditional Lunar Calendar, the Georgians’ calendar is based on the old Julian calendar. For the modern calendar, New Year happens on January 1, but the Old New Year is on January 14. Isn’t that fun? You can greet a Georgian Happy New Year twice in a row!
Georgians Love A Huge Family Feast
In Georgia, the celebration of New Year is a time for families and friends to come together and celebrate the start of a new year. Traditionally, Georgians will gather around the dinner table on New Year’s Eve, where they will enjoy a feast of traditional dishes such as khinkali (meat dumplings), roasted pork, and various salads and appetizers. Many people will enjoy a glass of champagne or red wine to toast the New Year. However, the highlight of the Georgian family feast or supra is savory food and sweets. You’ll not run out of Churchkhela, Eggplant with walnuts, Khachapuri (cheese-filled bread), Gozinaki (caramelized nuts fried in honey), and Satsivi (a chicken/turkey paste mixed with walnuts).
Celebrate Georgian New Year’s Eve By Visiting Family Members And Friends
Another popular tradition on New Year’s Eve in Georgia is the Alilo carolers that go door to door for charity purposes. Many Georgians give these people flowers, sweets, food, and fresh fruit as a sign of good cheer.
On New Year’s Day, people in Georgia will attend church services and pray for a blessed and successful new year. Some families may also continue the celebration with an outdoor picnic or BBQ, where they can enjoy the warm weather and spend time together.
Georgian’s Tradition Of Mekvleloba (მეკვლეობა) And Bedoba (ბედობა)
What is მეკვლეობა or Meklveoba? It is a superstitious belief that a family’s first guest (Meklve or ) at midnight on January 1 brings happiness and goodwill. So it’s very crucial to be generous, courteous, and careful during this day. Usually, Georgians will select which guests will arrive at their doorstep. But it’s also a good way of respect to inform your Georgian friends about your arrival on that day. The second day, or Bedoba (ბედობა), is spent as a day full of luck. Pamper yourself with wine, food, travel, and vacation spots.
Amazing Fireworks Display In Tbilisi, Georgia
Should you ever decide to visit Georgia soon, it’s best to stay in Tbilisi, where the fireworks are vibrant and plenty. After dinner, Georgian locals will go outside to set off fireworks and watch the colorful displays light up the sky. In the capital city of Tbilisi, the main celebration takes place at Freedom Square, where the city government organizes a large fireworks display.
Handy Phrases When Greeting A Happy New Year
Happy new year in Georgian is გილოცავთ ახალ წელს! (pronounced “gilotsavt akhal tselas!”)
In Georgian, the traditional way to say “Happy New Year” is “გილოცავთ ახალ წელს” pronounced gilotsavt akhal tsels. This phrase literally translates to wish you a new year, with “გილოცავთ” (gilotsavt) being the verb “to wish” and “ახალ წელს” (akhal tsels) meaning “new year.”
However, this phrase is not commonly used in everyday conversation and is often reserved for formal greetings or written messages. Instead, many Georgians say the Georgian word “გილოცავთ” (gilotsavt) on its own, which conveys the exact meaning of wishing someone a happy new year.
Say a happy new year to your friends and family members with these Georgian phrases.
| English | Georgian | Romanization |
| Congratulations! (Happy New Year informal) | გილოცავთ | gilotsavt |
| Happy New Year To You! | ედნიერი ახალი წელი თქვენ!/გილოცავთ ახალ წელს! | ednieri akhali ts’eli tkven!/ gilotsavt akhal tselas! |
| Have a great new year ahead! | გისურვებთ წარმატებულ ახალ წელს! | gisurvebt ts’armat’ebul akhal ts’els! |
| Let’s participate in singing some songs | მოდით მონაწილეობა მივიღოთ რამდენიმე სიმღერის შესრულებაში | modit monats’ileoba mivighot ramdenime simgheris shesrulebashi |
| I will wait until the fireworks are lit | დაველოდები სანამ ფეიერვერკი აინთება | davelodebi sanam peierverk’i ainteba |
| Will you participate in the celebration tomorrow? | მიიღებთ მონაწილეობას ხვალ ზეიმში? | miighebt monats’ileobas khval zeimshi? |
| You should eat with me and my family! | ჩემთან და ჩემს ოჯახთან ერთად უნდა ჭამო! | chemtan da chems ojakhtan ertad unda ch’amo! |
| I’ll visit you in Georgia during New Year’s Eve | ახალი წლის ღამეს საქართველოში გესტუმრებით | akhali ts’lis ghames sakartveloshi gest’umrebit |
Georgian Words For Celebrating A Happy New Year In Georgian
We hope you can practice those phrases, but if you still need to learn some of the vocabularies, here are some words you could memorize.
| English | Georgian | Romanization |
| New Year’s Day | მკვლელობა | Mekvleloba |
| Old New Year’s Day | ძველით ახალი წელი | dzvelit akhali ts’eli |
| Toast | სადღეგრძელო | sadghegrdzelo |
| Resolution | რეზოლუცია | rezolutsia |
| Next Year | Მომავალ წელს | momaval ts’els |
| Midnight | შუაღამე | shuaghame |
| Party | წვეულება | ts’veuleba |
| Countdown | უკუნთვლა | uk’untvla |
| Feast | დღესასწაული | dghesasts’auli |
| Accommodation | განთავსება | gantavseba |
| Church services | საეკლესიო მსახურება | saek’lesio msakhureba |
| Fireworks | ფეიერვერკი | peierverk’i |
Don’t wait for January of next year until you start learning Georgian! You can now practice reading and speak many other phrases, words, and translations. If you’re still struggling with how to pronounce basic Georgian words or even how to say პური (p’oo-ree) or bread when you want to eat your new year’s meal, it’s time to learn efficiently. Don’t sleep out on this opportunity to learn the Georgian language with a convenient app such as the Ling app!
Start Your New Year Learning Georgian With Ling
Spend this holiday season with the Ling app, a fun way to bring new words, phrases, and culture into your lives. Not only will you learn how to read, write, speak, and listen to Georgian in the Ling app, but it will also develop your own language techniques. It’s packed with fun and entertaining puzzles, fill-in-the-blank short scenarios, and an AI chatbot that can practice speaking with you.
You can even choose other languages too! There are 60+ languages that you can browse, select, and come back to again if you feel like switching to another language. If you’re a total beginner or already an advanced learner, this excellent language-learning tool should be your go-to!
Download the Ling app now at the Play Store or App Store and fulfill your next year’s resolution of learning a new language!
