International Women’s Day 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

International Women’s Day — in Georgian, ქალთა საერთაშორისო დღე (kalta saertashoriso dghe), literally “the international day of women” — is observed on 8 March as a nationwide public holiday in Georgia. Most Georgians simply call it rva marti, “the eighth of March,” a shorthand so common that the formal name is rarely used in everyday speech. Unlike Georgia’s church feasts, which follow the Julian-based liturgical calendar, this is a fixed, secular civil holiday that applies to the whole population regardless of religion.

The day is celebrated by everyone, not only by women themselves: men give flowers, cards and small gifts to mothers, wives, colleagues, teachers and friends, and workplaces, schools and theatres often mark it with short concerts or informal gatherings. It arrived in Georgia during the Soviet period as an official holiday of the workers’ movement, and it has survived the end of the Soviet Union with its political content largely forgotten, now functioning as a general, apolitical celebration of women in family and public life.

Historical background

• 1908 — Garment and textile workers in New York organise a large strike and march demanding better pay and working conditions, an event later invoked as a forerunner of International Women’s Day.
• 1910 — At the Second International Socialist Women’s Conference in Copenhagen, German socialist Clara Zetkin proposes an annual international day for women; the proposal is adopted without a fixed date.
• 1911 — The first International Women’s Day is observed, on 19 March, in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland.
• 1913–1914 — The observance is moved to 8 March in most countries where it was marked.
• 1917 — Women textile workers in Petrograd march for “Bread and Peace” on 23 February in the Julian calendar then in use in Russia, corresponding to 8 March in the Gregorian calendar; the protest is traditionally linked to the start of the February Revolution and later cited as the reason for the chosen date.
• 1921 — Communist organisations formally fix 8 March as International Women’s Day, commemorating the 1917 Petrograd events.
• 1965 — The Soviet Union declares 8 March a non-working public holiday across the USSR, including the Georgian SSR.
• 1991 — Georgia regains independence; 8 March is retained in national legislation as a public holiday.
• Today — The holiday continues under the Law of Georgia on Public Holidays, administered alongside other fixed and movable rest days (Legislative Herald of Georgia).

The day’s early history belongs to the international socialist and labour movements of the early twentieth century, long before it reached the South Caucasus. It entered Georgian life only after the Soviet annexation of 1921, as part of a calendar of state holidays designed to replace religious feasts with civic ones; for decades it was promoted as a tribute to women workers rather than to femininity in general, and official Soviet posters and newspapers framed it around labour and equality rather than flowers and sentiment (Britannica, “International Women’s Day”).

After 1991, independent Georgia kept the non-working status of 8 March even as it dismantled much of the Soviet calendar, a choice that reflects how thoroughly the day had been absorbed into domestic custom. Its political and labour-movement origins have faded from public memory; surveys and news coverage in Georgia today treat it chiefly as an occasion for family affection and gift-giving rather than as a commemoration of 1917 or of workers’ rights (Civil.ge).

Meaning and traditions

There is no liturgy, fast or fixed dish attached to 8 March; it is a social and family holiday rather than a religious or culinary one. The central ritual is simple: men present flowers to the women around them — mothers, grandmothers, wives, daughters, colleagues, teachers — and many households hold a festive dinner in the evening, often with the same spread used for other family celebrations: khachapuri, a roasted or stewed meat dish, and Georgian wine if the household drinks. Schools hold short concerts in which children recite poems and sing for their mothers and teachers; many offices pause briefly for toasts or a shared cake.

A widely observed point of etiquette, shared with Russia and much of the former Soviet space, is that flowers for a living person should be given in an odd number — an even number of stems is reserved for funerals. The characteristic flower of the season is the mimosa, imported in large quantities each March because it is one of the first blooms widely available at that time of year; yellow mimosa branches sold on street corners are, for many Georgians, the visual symbol of the holiday itself.

A related but distinct observance falls five days earlier, on 3 March: Mother’s Day, an older Soviet-era occasion that many Georgian families still mark privately with gifts for mothers and grandmothers, even though it does not carry public-holiday status. The two dates are sometimes confused by visitors, but Georgians generally keep them separate — 3 March for mothers specifically, 8 March for women in general.

When it happens

International Women’s Day falls on a fixed calendar date, 8 March, every year, following the Gregorian civil calendar used for state holidays in Georgia (unlike the Georgian Orthodox feasts, which are set by the Julian-based church calendar). In 2026, 8 March falls on a Sunday; in 2027, it falls on a Monday. It is a full public holiday, meaning government offices, banks, courts, schools and most state institutions are closed for the day. As with Georgia’s other fixed-date public holidays, no automatic substitute day off is added when 8 March coincides with a weekend, so travellers planning a visit in that period should check the official holiday calendar in advance.

Where to experience it

Tbilisi offers the most visible version of the day. From the morning of 8 March, flower stalls multiply along Rustaveli Avenue, around Freedom Square and at Vake Park, with vendors selling mimosa, tulips and roses to men on their way to work or to family visits. The Tbilisi State Opera and Ballet Theatre and other city theatres often schedule special matinee or evening performances around the date, and cafés and restaurants in the old town fill with family groups in the evening. In Batumi and Kutaisi the pattern is similar on a smaller scale, with flower markets near the central squares doing brisk trade.

Because it is a secular holiday rather than a church feast, there is no specific liturgical etiquette to observe; churches remain open as usual but hold no special service for the day. Visitors invited into a Georgian home for the occasion should bring an odd number of flowers for the women of the household and should expect, as with any festive Georgian meal, a long table, a round of toasts led by a tamada (toastmaster), and genuine hospitality extended to guests regardless of how recently they arrived in the country.

Did you know

• The idea for an international women’s day was proposed in 1910 at a socialist women’s conference in Copenhagen by Clara Zetkin, decades before Georgia adopted the holiday.
• The 8 March date is traditionally traced to a women’s march in Petrograd in 1917 that, according to the Julian calendar then used in Russia, took place on 23 February.
• The Soviet Union only made 8 March an official non-working holiday in 1965, more than four decades after communist organisations had first fixed the date.
• Mimosa became the holiday’s signature flower across much of the former Soviet Union, including Georgia, largely because it is one of the few flowers reliably in bloom by early March.
• Georgia observes two related but distinct spring occasions for women — Mother’s Day on 3 March and International Women’s Day on 8 March — a pairing inherited from Soviet-era custom rather than church tradition.

Practical tips for visitors

Expect government offices, banks, courts and most schools to be closed on 8 March; private shops, markets, restaurants and transport generally continue to operate, though staffing may be lighter. Flower prices rise noticeably in the days before the holiday, and florists and street vendors are busiest in the morning, so early shopping is advisable if a gift is planned. Restaurants popular for family dinners can fill up in the evening, so booking ahead in Tbilisi or Batumi is sensible. No special dress code applies; early March weather in Tbilisi and Kutaisi is cool and often damp, while higher regions such as Kazbegi and Svaneti can still have significant snow cover, worth planning for if the holiday is combined with a mountain trip.

Combine it with

Because International Women’s Day is a nationwide, non-location-specific holiday, it pairs naturally with a longer itinerary rather than a single site. Consider combining it with a stay in Tbilisi to see the flower markets and theatre season at their liveliest, a spring visit to the vineyards of Kakheti, or a trip to the Black Sea coast and botanical gardens of Adjara, where early blossoms often appear before the rest of the country.

Questions travellers ask

Is International Women’s Day a public holiday in Georgia?

Yes. It is a nationwide, non-working public holiday observed every year on 8 March, applicable across the whole country regardless of religion.

Do shops and restaurants close on 8 March?

Government offices, banks and schools close, but most private shops, restaurants and public transport continue to operate, often with extra demand for flowers and festive dinners.

What is the difference between Women’s Day and Mother’s Day in Georgia?

Mother’s Day, on 3 March, is an older observance focused specifically on mothers and is not a public holiday; International Women’s Day, on 8 March, honours women generally and is a full public holiday.

What flowers should I give on this day?

Mimosa, roses or tulips are typical choices. A long-standing local custom calls for an odd number of stems, since even numbers are associated with funerals.

Is it appropriate to greet a Georgian woman I do not know well on this day?

Yes, a polite greeting or small gesture such as a single flower is welcome and common even between acquaintances, colleagues or service staff such as waitresses and shop assistants.

Why is 8 March a holiday in a formerly Soviet country like Georgia?

The date was adopted as an official Soviet holiday in the twentieth century and, although its socialist origins have faded from public memory, independent Georgia chose to retain it after 1991 as a popular family occasion.

Are there special events for tourists?

There is no formal tourist programme; the experience is mainly about seeing everyday Georgian life — flower markets, family dinners and theatre performances — rather than attending organised festivities.

What happens if 8 March falls on a weekend?

Georgia does not automatically grant a substitute weekday off when a fixed-date holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, so in those years the holiday is observed on the calendar date itself without an extra day of closure.

Sources

• Legislative Herald of Georgia (public holidays legislation)
• Civil.ge (Georgian news coverage)
• Georgian National Statistics Office
• World Bank, Georgia country data
• International Women's Day (public holiday entry)
• International Women's Day in Georgia – Agenda.ge
• Civil.ge coverage of March 8
• InterPressNews on Women's Day events
• Radio Tavisupleba feature on March 8
• BM.ge business impact of March 8 holiday