Gomaretoba 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

Gomaretoba is the name given to the annual “village day” of Gomareti, a settlement in Dmanisi municipality in the Kvemo Kartli region of southern Georgia. The word follows one of the most productive patterns in Georgian festival vocabulary: the suffix -oba is attached to the name of a place, a saint or a patron feast to create a noun meaning, roughly, “the day of” or “the celebration of” that place. The same pattern gives Georgian its best-known festival names — Tbilisoba (the day of Tbilisi), Alaverdoba (the feast of Alaverdi Monastery) and Mtskhetoba (the day of Mtskheta). Gomaretoba, by the same logic, simply means “the day of Gomareti.”

The festival is celebrated by the residents of Gomareti and the surrounding villages of Dmanisi municipality, together with relatives who return from Tbilisi or abroad for the occasion, neighbouring communities, and a small but growing number of outside visitors. It belongs to a wide family of Georgian local “-oba” days that combine an agricultural or community calendar with a programme of music, feasting, sport and, in Gomareti’s case, horse racing. Unlike the great church feasts such as Mtskhetoba-Svetitskhovloba or Alaverdoba, Gomaretoba is not a liturgical commemoration; it is best understood as a community and municipal event rooted in older rural gathering customs, reshaped over the twentieth century into the form it takes today.

Historical background

• 6th century — Sioni Church, one of the oldest standing church buildings in the Dmanisi area, is traditionally dated to this period, evidence of continuous Christian settlement in the district long before Gomareti’s modern village day existed.
• Medieval period — Dmanisi grows into a fortified town on a branch of the Caucasus trade routes; its walls, caravanserai remains and the rebuilt Sioni Church (restored after Mongol-era destruction in the 13th century) are preserved today as part of the Dmanisi Archaeological Museum-Reserve.
• 1991 — excavations at Dmanisi uncover hominin fossils later dated to roughly 1.8 million years old, among the earliest human-ancestor remains found outside Africa, placing the wider municipality at the centre of global human-origins research.
• 19th century — the Russian imperial administration resettles sectarian and minority communities across parts of southern Georgia, contributing to the multi-ethnic character that still marks Kvemo Kartli villages, including those around Dmanisi.
• Soviet period (1920s–1980s) — collective farms across rural Georgia institute an annual secular “village day” of sport, music and feasting; such days are widely regarded as the direct ancestor of present-day local “-oba” festivals, including Gomaretoba.
• 1990s — after independence, many Soviet-era village days are reclaimed by local communities, renamed with the traditional Georgian “-oba” suffix and reconnected, where possible, to older patron-feast and harvest customs.
• 2000s–present — Dmanisi municipality lists Gomaretoba among its annual cultural calendar, typically held in June, with the precise date confirmed by local organisers only shortly beforehand.

Dmanisi’s deep history — a Silk Road town, a medieval bishopric, and later a site of international palaeoanthropological importance — gives the wider municipality an unusually layered past for a small rural district. Gomaretoba itself, however, belongs to a more recent and more modest tradition: the Soviet-era “village day,” a secular festival of sport and culture that collective farms organised annually to mark the agricultural calendar and to give rural communities an occasion for gathering outside of church feasts. After 1991 these days were not abandoned but absorbed into the older Georgian habit of naming a community’s celebration after itself, producing festivals such as Gomaretoba alongside hundreds of similarly named village days across the country.

What distinguishes Gomaretoba from many neighbouring celebrations is its emphasis on horse racing, a sport with long roots in Georgian rural and mountain culture, and one that collective farms in livestock-raising districts such as Dmanisi continued to promote through the Soviet period as a mark of local pride. The festival today functions as much as a reunion and a showcase of equestrian skill as it does a historical commemoration, and its documentary record — like that of many small village days — rests more in local memory and municipal practice than in written chronicle.

Meaning and traditions

At the centre of Gomaretoba is the supra, the long Georgian feast table, presided over by a tamada (toastmaster) who leads a structured sequence of toasts to guests, ancestors, peace and the village itself. Tables are laid with regional dishes typical of Kvemo Kartli’s pastoral economy: grilled lamb and pork mtsvadi (skewered meat), fresh bread, local cheeses, and seasonal vegetables, often accompanied by home-made wine or chacha (grape spirit).

The festival’s best-known attraction is the tskhenebis asparezoba, the horse races, in which local riders compete over improvised courses outside the village, drawing spectators from the whole municipality. Folk ensembles perform Kartli-Kakhetian songs and dances, and smaller contests — wrestling (chidaoba), tug-of-war and children’s games — round out the day’s programme. As with most Georgian village days, the emphasis falls on participation and hospitality rather than spectacle for its own sake: visitors who are invited to a table are expected to accept at least a token toast, and leaving before the meal has formally closed is considered impolite.

Because Dmanisi municipality is one of Georgia’s more ethnically mixed districts, with Georgian, Azerbaijani and Armenian communities living in neighbouring villages, local “-oba” days such as Gomaretoba often draw visitors and performers from across these communities, reflecting the district’s long history as a crossroads rather than an isolated valley.

When it happens

Gomaretoba follows a variable pattern rather than a fixed date: it is a local, municipally coordinated festival normally held on a weekend in June, with the exact day confirmed by Gomareti’s community and the Dmanisi municipal administration only a short time in advance, largely to accommodate weather, the school calendar and the availability of riders for the races. It is not a national public holiday; government offices, banks and businesses in Tbilisi and elsewhere in Georgia operate normally. The next scheduled date is 13 June 2027, to be confirmed closer to the event by local organisers.

Where to experience it

The festival takes place in and around the village of Gomareti, in Dmanisi municipality, roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive southwest of Tbilisi via Marneuli. The centre of activity is the village square and the open ground used for the horse races, usually from late morning into the afternoon, followed by communal feasting into the evening. Visitors can combine a visit with the nearby Dmanisi Archaeological Museum-Reserve and the medieval Sioni Church, both a short drive from the village, and with the dramatic basalt gorge and waterfall at Dashbashi Canyon in the neighbouring Tsalka district.

As with any rural gathering in Georgia, modest dress is appropriate, especially if visiting a church along the way; shoulders and knees should be covered and a head covering is customary for women entering an active church. If invited into a private home or to a family’s table at the festival, a small gift such as sweets or fruit is a courteous gesture, and it is polite to remain for at least the first round of toasts.

Did you know

• Dmanisi municipality is the site of hominin fossils dated to roughly 1.8 million years, among the oldest human-ancestor remains discovered outside Africa.
• The Georgian suffix “-oba” turns almost any place or saint’s name into a festival name, giving Georgia its Tbilisoba, Alaverdoba, Mtskhetoba and Gomaretoba alike.
• Dmanisi was once a fortified town on a branch of regional Silk Road trade routes, with remains of a caravanserai still visible at its archaeological reserve.
• Kvemo Kartli, the region containing Dmanisi, is among Georgia’s most ethnically diverse areas, home to Georgian, Azerbaijani and Armenian communities living side by side.
• Horse racing at Georgian village festivals descends from older equestrian traditions still visible today at highland feast days in regions such as Tusheti and Kakheti.

Practical tips for visitors

Gomareti has limited public transport, and the most practical way to attend is by road from Tbilisi via Marneuli and Dmanisi town; a private car or hired driver is recommended, since marshrutka (minibus) services to small villages are infrequent and schedules change without notice. June weather in Kvemo Kartli is generally warm and dry, but mornings can be cool, so layered clothing is useful. Because the exact date is confirmed only shortly beforehand, travellers planning a trip specifically around Gomaretoba should check with the Dmanisi municipal administration or a local guide close to the date rather than booking far in advance. GTour arranges a private driver or guide for the day for visitors who want to combine the festival with nearby sites.

Combine it with

Gomaretoba pairs naturally with a wider visit to southern Georgia’s historical sites: the churches, wine culture and valleys of Kakheti, the highland fortresses and monasteries of Samtskhe-Javakheti, and the castles and river gorges of Kartli, the broader region to which Dmanisi municipality historically belongs.

Questions travellers ask

Is Gomaretoba a public holiday in Georgia?

No. It is a local village festival, not a national public holiday, and it has no effect on offices, banks or shops elsewhere in Georgia.

How is the exact date decided each year?

The date is set by Gomareti’s community together with Dmanisi municipal authorities, usually a weekend in June, and is confirmed only a short time before the event.

Can outside visitors attend?

Yes. Village days in Georgia are open, community-wide events, and visitors who arrive respectfully and accept the hospitality offered are generally welcomed warmly.

What should I wear?

Casual, comfortable clothing suits the outdoor festival itself; modest dress covering shoulders and knees is expected if visiting any nearby church.

Is there accommodation in Gomareti itself?

Lodging options in the village are very limited, so most visitors base themselves in Tbilisi or in Dmanisi town and travel to Gomareti for the day.

What is the significance of the horse races?

The races reflect a long-standing equestrian tradition in Georgia’s livestock-raising districts and remain the festival’s central public spectacle, drawing riders and spectators from across the municipality.

Is Gomaretoba connected to a church feast day?

No specific saint’s day is documented for Gomaretoba; it developed from the secular Soviet-era “village day” tradition rather than from a liturgical commemoration.

What else is worth seeing nearby?

The Dmanisi Archaeological Museum-Reserve, the medieval Sioni Church, and the Dashbashi Canyon waterfalls in the adjoining Tsalka district are all within easy reach of Gomareti.

Sources

• Dmanisi Archaeological Museum-Reserve
• Georgian National Tourism Administration
• Ministry of Culture, Sport and Youth of Georgia
• National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia
• Georgian Orthodox Patriarchate
• National Statistics Office of Georgia
• National Parliamentary Library of Georgia
• UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage