Giorgoba 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

Giorgoba (გიორგობა) takes its name from Giorgi, the Georgian form of George, combined with the suffix -oba, which turns a name or noun into the title of a feast day or state of being — the same construction found in Mariamoba (the Dormition) or Barbaroba (St Barbara’s Day). Giorgoba therefore means, simply, “the day of George.” It commemorates St George of Lydda, known in Georgian hymnography as Tsminda Giorgi and honoured with the epithets Gamarjvebuli (“the Victorious”) and Mkvlevari (“the Victory-bearer”), a Roman soldier martyred for his Christian faith and, in Eastern Christendom, one of the most widely venerated military saints.

The holiday is kept by the Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church and observed, in practice, by the overwhelming majority of the population regardless of churchgoing habit, because devotion to St George is woven into Georgian family life, surnames, place names and folk memory. Georgia marks two feasts of St George in its liturgical year: a spring commemoration on 6 May, recalling his martyrdom, and the larger autumn Giorgoba on 23 November, which is the one recognised as a nationwide public holiday.

Historical background

• c. 303 — According to Christian tradition, George, an officer in the Roman army, is martyred under Emperor Diocletian at Nicomedia for refusing to renounce his faith.
• 4th century — Veneration of St George spreads rapidly across the Eastern Mediterranean and the Caucasus in the wake of the Christianisation of Georgia under King Mirian III, traditionally dated to 326, through the preaching of St Nino.
• 5th century — King Vakhtang I Gorgasali, builder of Tbilisi and founder of churches across eastern Georgia, is closely linked in popular memory with the cult of St George, which becomes entwined with royal and military identity.
• Medieval period — Georgian tradition holds that 365 churches across the country were dedicated to St George, one for every day of the year; whatever the true number, the claim reflects the saint’s unmatched place in the national church calendar.
• 12th century — Under King David IV “the Builder” and Queen Tamar, royal patronage of St George imagery intensifies; his image as a mounted warrior slaying a dragon or serpent becomes a standard motif of Georgian church sculpture and manuscript illumination.
• 1917 — In the turbulence following the Russian Revolution, Georgian clergy move to restore the autocephaly of the Georgian Orthodox Church, reaffirming the institutional framework within which feasts such as Giorgoba continued to be marked.
• Soviet era (1921–1991) — Public religious observance is suppressed, yet Giorgoba survives in villages as a family and agricultural feast, often folded into harvest-time gatherings under less overtly religious labels.
• 23 November 2003 — On Giorgoba, the bloodless Rose Revolution culminates with the resignation of President Eduard Shevardnadze, a coincidence of dates widely noted in Georgian political memory (see BBC News, Georgia country profile).
• Today — Giorgoba on 23 November is a statutory public holiday in independent Georgia, observed with liturgies, family feasts and regional pilgrimages.

The depth of St George’s cult in Georgia owes less to a single historical event than to centuries of accumulated devotion that fused Christian martyrdom with pre-Christian warrior and agrarian symbolism. Mounted-saint iconography slaying a serpent resonated with older Caucasian traditions of protector deities guarding flocks, harvests and mountain passes, which is one reason the saint’s shrines are so often found on remote ridgelines and at village boundaries rather than only in cathedral towns. Medieval Georgian kings, several of them named Giorgi, reinforced the association between the saint and national sovereignty, a link that resurfaces, consciously or not, whenever political change in Georgia happens to fall near his feast day.

The Georgian Orthodox Church’s own account of the autumn Giorgoba ties the date to the dedication of specific early churches and to local commemorations distinct from the spring martyrdom feast; details vary by diocese and parish tradition, and visitors should treat the precise origin of the 23 November date as a matter of church history recorded by the Patriarchate of Georgia rather than a single documented event of certain date.

Meaning and traditions

On Giorgoba, families attend the morning Divine Liturgy, light candles before icons of St George and then gather for a supra, the long Georgian feast table presided over by a tamada (toastmaster). Toasts on this day typically honour St George himself, ancestors, homeland and peace, following the strict toast order customary at a formal Georgian supra. A toast is sometimes passed around the table as an alaverdi, a term borrowed from the great Alaverdi Monastery in Kakheti, meaning that one drinker hands the obligation to elaborate on a toast to the next.

Tables carry the staples of a Georgian feast: khinkali (dumplings), mtsvadi (skewered grilled meat), churchkhela (strung walnuts dipped in grape must), fresh Imeretian or Guruli cheese, and qvevri-aged wine poured generously, since St George is regarded, among much else, as a patron of fertility and abundance. In many villages a sheep or other animal is slaughtered in the saint’s honour and the meat shared among neighbours and the poor, a practice with pre-Christian roots in sacrificial feasting that the Church has long tolerated as charitable almsgiving rather than ritual sacrifice.

Regional variation is considerable. In the mountains of Mtskheta-Mtianeti, the shrine of Lomisi draws highlanders for Lomisoba, a pilgrimage on the Tuesday after Orthodox Pentecost dedicated to a local form of St George, with flag-bearing (drosha) processions, horse riding and communal sacrifice. In Pshavi and Khevsureti, hereditary shrine-keepers (khevisberi) lead ceremonies that blend Christian liturgy with older highland custom. In Svaneti, towers and chapels dedicated to the saint, locally called Jgëræg, anchor village identity, and Giorgoba there can include horseback games. Urban Giorgoba in Tbilisi or Kutaisi is quieter and more domestic: church attendance, a family table, and visits to relatives named Giorgi, since this is also, informally, a name day for the country’s most common male given name.

When it happens

Giorgoba falls on a fixed civil date, 23 November, corresponding to 10 November in the Julian calendar still used by the Georgian Orthodox Church for its fixed feasts. In 2025 the holiday falls on Sunday, 23 November; in 2026 it falls on Monday, 23 November. It is a statutory public holiday under Georgian labour law, listed among the official non-working days recorded in the national labour code (see Legislative Herald of Georgia, Matsne). Government offices, banks and most private businesses close, though supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants and tourist-facing shops in cities generally stay open, and museums typically keep normal or reduced hours.

Where to experience it

In Tbilisi, the morning liturgy at Sioni Cathedral or Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba) draws large congregations; the gilded statue of St George slaying the dragon atop the column in Freedom Square is a focal point for photographs and informal gatherings throughout the day. In Kakheti, Alaverdi Monastery, one of the tallest and oldest cathedrals in the country, holds a solemn service befitting its historic dedication to St George. For the most distinctive regional experience, travellers willing to make a mountain excursion can witness Lomisoba-style highland devotion in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, though the main Lomisoba pilgrimage itself takes place later, after Pentecost, not on 23 November; on Giorgoba proper, village churches throughout the Aragvi valley hold their own smaller services and feasts.

Visitors attending church services should dress modestly: covered shoulders and knees for all, headscarves for women at the entrance to most churches, and men should remove hats. Photography inside sanctuaries during the liturgy is generally discouraged unless explicitly permitted. If invited into a Georgian home for the feast, arriving with a small gift, such as wine, sweets or flowers in odd numbers, is customary, and guests should expect, and graciously accept, the ritual of toasting led by the tamada.

Did you know

• Giorgi is the single most common male given name in Georgia, a direct reflection of the saint’s national stature.
• Georgian popular etymology has long, though incorrectly, linked the country’s own name to St George; linguists instead trace exonyms like “Georgia” to Persian and Arabic terms for the region, such as gurj.
• St George appears on the national flag only indirectly, through the Jerusalem cross design, but his mounted image appears on Georgia’s coat of arms and on coinage.
• The Rose Revolution of November 2003, which ended Eduard Shevardnadze’s presidency, reached its climax on Giorgoba, a coincidence frequently cited in Georgian political commentary.
• Georgia keeps two separate feasts of St George in its calendar year, 6 May and 23 November, a dual commemoration uncommon even among Orthodox nations with strong devotion to the saint.

Practical tips for visitors

Late November in Tbilisi is cool and often rainy, with daytime temperatures typically in single digits Celsius; mountain regions such as Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Svaneti may already have snow, and some high-altitude roads can be affected. Because it is a public holiday, intercity transport still runs but with reduced frequency; book train or marshrutka tickets in advance through Georgian Railway where relevant. Government offices, banks and many museums close for the day, so plan sightseeing involving state institutions around the holiday. Restaurants remain open and are often busy with family parties, so reserve ahead if dining out in the evening. Travellers invited to a village feast should pace themselves with the wine and accept that the meal may run for several hours with many toasts.

Combine it with

Giorgoba pairs naturally with a visit to Kakheti for Alaverdi Monastery and the autumn wine harvest season still in its final weeks, with Mtskheta-Mtianeti for highland shrines connected to the saint’s cult, and with Tbilisi for the capital’s cathedrals and the Freedom Square monument.

Questions travellers ask

Is Giorgoba the same as Georgia’s national day?

No. Georgia’s Independence Day is 26 May. Giorgoba is a religious and cultural public holiday honouring St George, distinct from any state founding anniversary, though both are marked by national pride.

Why does Georgia celebrate St George twice a year?

The Georgian Orthodox calendar keeps 6 May for the saint’s martyrdom and 23 November for a separate commemoration tied to church dedications and local tradition; only the November date is a public holiday.

Can tourists attend church services on Giorgoba?

Yes, Georgian churches welcome respectful visitors at any service, including on Giorgoba, provided dress is modest and behaviour quiet during the liturgy.

Will restaurants and shops be open?

Most restaurants, cafes, supermarkets and pharmacies stay open; banks, government offices and some museums close for the public holiday.

What food is traditionally eaten on Giorgoba?

Expect a full Georgian supra with khinkali, grilled mtsvadi, cheese, bread, churchkhela and qvevri wine, often including meat from an animal slaughtered and shared in the saint’s honour.

Is Lomisoba part of Giorgoba?

Lomisoba is a related but separate highland pilgrimage to the Lomisi shrine dedicated to a local form of St George; it takes place after Orthodox Pentecost in early summer, not on 23 November.

Is 23 November a good day to travel within Georgia?

Travel is possible but can be quieter in rural areas as families gather at home; book transport and restaurant tables in advance, especially in villages known for their feasts.

Why is St George so important to Georgians specifically?

Centuries of royal patronage, church dedication and folk tradition fused the martyred soldier-saint with Georgian ideas of protection, sovereignty and the land itself, making him the country’s most venerated figure after the Theotokos.

Sources

• BBC News, Georgia country profile
• Legislative Herald of Georgia, Matsne
• Georgian National Tourism Administration
• Georgia Travel official portal
• Georgian Railway