New Year in Tbilisi in Georgia: dates, meaning and how to experience it

By Mariam Lomidze, GTour desk · Fact-checked against the sources listed · Last checked 25 October 2026 · Editorial policy

What it is

Akhali Tseli (ახალი წელი) means simply “New Year” — akhali, “new,” and tseli, “year.” It is Georgia’s largest civic holiday, observed on the night of 31 December into 1 January by the entire population regardless of religious affiliation, in private homes and in the public squares of every town. In Tbilisi it is also the country’s biggest open-air public event of the winter, drawing residents and visitors to the riverside and the central squares for a midnight fireworks display and a free concert.

Because Georgia’s civil calendar is Gregorian while the Georgian Orthodox Church still keeps its liturgical calendar on the older Julian reckoning, the capital effectively marks the turn of the year twice: the secular Akhali Tseli on 1 January, and a quieter, more domestic “Old New Year” (Zveli Akhali Tseli) on the night of 13–14 January, thirteen days later. Orthodox Christmas, on 7 January, falls in between. This layering of calendars — civic, Soviet-era and ecclesiastical — is central to understanding why New Year in Tbilisi looks the way it does today: part Soviet public holiday, part Orthodox household ritual, part contemporary urban festival.

Historical background

• 337 — Christianity becomes the state religion of the kingdom of Kartli under King Mirian III, establishing the Julian-based liturgical calendar that the Georgian Orthodox Church still follows for its feasts, including Christmas and Epiphany.
• 19th century — Under Russian imperial administration, Tbilisi’s elite begins adopting European-style New Year gatherings, fir trees and masquerade balls alongside existing Orthodox Christmas customs.
• 1918 — Georgia declares independence as the Democratic Republic of Georgia; across the former Russian Empire the civil calendar shifts from Julian to Gregorian, while the Church retains the Julian calendar for worship, opening the thirteen-day gap between civil and “old” New Year.
• 1921 — Sovietization of Georgia begins; religious observance of Christmas is discouraged and public life is reorganized around secular Soviet holidays.
• Mid-1930s — Soviet authorities permit decorated fir trees again, recast as symbols of the secular New Year rather than Christmas, a shift that shaped winter public culture across the USSR, including Tbilisi.
• 1991 — Georgia restores independence; Orthodox Christmas on 7 January returns openly as a public holiday alongside the secular New Year.
• 2000s–present — Tbilisi City Hall develops Republic Square and the Mtkvari riverside, including Rike Park and the Bridge of Peace, as the staging ground for the city’s official New Year’s Eve concert and fireworks.

The Soviet period is the hinge of this history. With Orthodox Christmas suppressed for much of the twentieth century, the secular New Year absorbed many of the gestures ordinarily associated with a midwinter religious feast: a decorated tree, a family feast, gift-giving, and a visit from a “Snow Grandfather” figure for children. For generations of Georgians this made 1 January, not 7 January, the emotional center of the winter season, a pattern that persisted even after Christmas was restored in 1991.

Today the two calendars coexist rather than compete. Tbilisi residents generally treat 1 January as the big family and public celebration, 7 January as a solemn church holiday, and 13–14 January, the Old New Year, as a smaller, more private echo of the first — often the occasion for a last, quieter supra before ordinary life resumes. The Patriarchate of Georgia continues to calculate its feast days on the Julian calendar, which is why Georgian Christmas falls on 7 January by the Gregorian civil calendar used for travel planning.

Meaning and traditions

The Georgian New Year is built around the supra, the long table of toasts presided over by a tamada (toastmaster). A New Year’s Eve supra typically includes satsivi (poultry in a cold walnut sauce), gozinaki (walnut and honey brittle, eaten for a “sweet” coming year), churchkhela, khachapuri, and Georgian wine or sparkling wine, with tangerines a near-universal presence on the table, a habit carried over from the Soviet period when citrus from Adjara and Abkhazia was a seasonal luxury. Toasts at midnight are sometimes accompanied by Georgian polyphonic singing, a tradition recognized by UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

A distinctive custom is the mekvle, the “first-footer”: the first person to cross a household’s threshold after midnight is believed to set the tone for the family’s luck in the year ahead, and is traditionally chosen in advance — often a man considered fortunate or warm-hearted — who arrives bearing sweets, fruit, small coins or greenery as symbolic gifts. The day of 1 January itself is sometimes called Bedoba, from bedi, “fate” or “luck,” with the folk belief that how one spends it — generously, calmly, among family — shapes the character of the coming year.

Regional variation is strongest around the decorated tree. In Guria and Samegrelo, many households still prepare a chichilaki, a small cone-shaped “tree” made from curled, dried hazelnut or walnut branch shavings, a pre-Soviet alternative to the fir tree sometimes linked to Saint Basil of Caesarea. The chichilaki is traditionally burned at Epiphany on 19 January to carry away the old year’s misfortune. In highland regions such as Racha, Svaneti and parts of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, the Old New Year in mid-January can carry more weight in village life than the civic 1 January holiday, with house-to-house visits and caroling-like customs persisting longer than in the capital.

When it happens

New Year in Georgia falls on the fixed Gregorian date of 1 January, with celebrations beginning on the evening of 31 December. For this holiday period, the relevant dates are 31 December 2026 to 2 January 2027; the following year the equivalent dates are 31 December 2027 to 2 January 2028. In Georgia’s state calendar, 1 and 2 January are both public holidays. Banks, government offices and most schools close for both days, and many private businesses extend the closure informally through the first week of January, which also contains the Orthodox Christmas holiday on 7 January.

Museums, including state institutions overseen by Georgia’s culture ministry, typically close on 1 January and sometimes 2 January; opening hours should be checked in advance for any winter visit. Restaurants and bars in central Tbilisi remain open and busy, especially on New Year’s Eve itself, though many require advance booking for the evening of 31 December.

Where to experience it

The focal point of Tbilisi’s public celebration is Republic Square (formerly Lenin Square, often referred to locally as First Republic Square), where the city government stages a free open-air concert through the evening of 31 December, building to a midnight countdown. Fireworks are launched over the Mtkvari River, visible from the riverside promenades near Rike Park and the Bridge of Peace, from Metekhi Bridge, and from the heights around Narikala Fortress, which offers a panoramic view over the whole illuminated city. Avlabari and the Old Town streets around Sioni Cathedral and Shardeni Street fill with pedestrians moving between the concert and informal gatherings.

Visitors wishing to enter a working church during the holiday period — Sioni Cathedral, the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba), or Metekhi Church — should dress modestly: covered shoulders, and a headscarf for women, is customary, and services around the Christmas and Epiphany period draw substantial congregations. If invited into a Georgian home for a New Year supra, it is customary to bring a small gift (sweets, flowers or wine), to accept the first toast rather than decline it, and to wait for the tamada to open and close rounds of toasting before drinking.

Did you know

• Georgia effectively has two New Years thirteen days apart, because the Orthodox Church still calculates feasts on the Julian calendar while the civil calendar is Gregorian.
• The chichilaki, a cone of curled walnut or hazelnut shavings, functioned as a Georgian alternative to the fir-tree Christmas tree long before Soviet-era trees became common.
• Gozinaki, the honey-and-walnut brittle eaten at New Year, is traditionally cut into diamond-shaped pieces said to resemble roof tiles, a wish for a sheltered, prosperous year.
• Georgian polyphonic singing, often heard at New Year’s Eve tables, is recognized on UNESCO’s Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
• Christianity’s adoption as Kartli’s state religion in the 4th century, under King Mirian III, is the root of the Julian-calendar feast cycle still followed by the Church today, as documented by Britannica’s history of Georgia.

Practical tips for visitors

Flights into Tbilisi International Airport around the New Year period are often fuller than usual; booking accommodation and transfers well in advance is advisable, particularly for the nights of 30–31 December. Expect near-freezing temperatures and the possibility of snow or icy pavements; warm, layered clothing and sturdy footwear are recommended for standing outdoors at Republic Square or the riverside for the midnight fireworks. Public buses and the Tbilisi metro generally continue running into the early hours on New Year’s Eve, though schedules can be adjusted; confirming current timetables locally is sensible. Banks, ATMs at some branches, pharmacies outside major chains, and most government and tourist offices close on 1 and 2 January, so arranging cash and any needed paperwork beforehand is prudent. Restaurant tables for the evening of 31 December should be booked ahead, as many establishments operate fixed-menu supra seatings that sell out.

Combine it with

A winter visit built around New Year pairs well with a short trip into the mountains or wine country once the city’s festivities wind down. Consider extending the stay toward Mtskheta-Mtianeti, with its early Christian monasteries, toward Kazbegi for snow-covered mountain scenery, or toward Kakheti, where the New Year table’s wine is produced and winter cellar visits are quieter than in the autumn harvest season.

Questions travellers ask

Is it safe to be outdoors in Tbilisi during the midnight fireworks?

The official display over the Mtkvari River is organized by the city and viewed from designated public areas such as Rike Park and the riverside embankments, which is the safest vantage point. Independent, informal fireworks are also set off by residents in streets and courtyards across the city, so visitors should keep a cautious distance from amateur displays.

Do shops and restaurants stay open on 1 January?

Most restaurants, bars and cafés in central Tbilisi remain open, though hours may be shortened. Banks, government offices, many pharmacies outside large chains, and most museums are closed on 1 and 2 January, both public holidays.

What is the difference between New Year and Orthodox Christmas in Georgia?

New Year (1 January) is the larger secular and family holiday, rooted partly in Soviet-era custom. Orthodox Christmas falls on 7 January, thirteen days later, according to the Church’s Julian calendar, and is observed with church services rather than public fireworks.

Can visitors join a Georgian New Year supra?

Travellers invited into a private home should accept warmly, bring a small gift, and follow the tamada’s lead on toasts. Some tour operators and guesthouses also arrange supra experiences for visitors without local connections, particularly around the holiday period.

What is a chichilaki and where can I see one?

A chichilaki is a cone-shaped ornament made from curled, dried walnut or hazelnut branch shavings, used as a traditional alternative to a Christmas tree, especially in Guria and Samegrelo. Examples are often displayed in Tbilisi’s Old Town shops and at seasonal markets through the New Year and Epiphany period.

Is public transport free on New Year’s Eve in Tbilisi?

Fare policy for buses and the metro on New Year’s Eve can vary by year, and it should not be assumed to be free; checking current notices from the city transport authority before travel is recommended.

What should I wear for an outdoor midnight celebration?

Late December and early January in Tbilisi are cold, often near or below freezing, with possible snow or icy conditions. Warm layered clothing, a hat, gloves and waterproof footwear are advisable for standing outdoors at Republic Square or along the river.

Is the Old New Year on 13–14 January celebrated publicly in Tbilisi?

In the capital it is a much quieter, mostly domestic occasion compared to 1 January, usually marked with a smaller family supra rather than public concerts or fireworks. It carries more visible weight in some rural and highland communities than in central Tbilisi.

Sources

• New Year's Eve Fireworks and Celebrations in Tbilisi
• Law of Georgia on Public Holidays (Non-Working Days)
• National Statistics Office – Public Holidays Calendar