New Year and Christmas in Georgia: Alilo, 7 January, gozinaki and where to celebrate

Georgia celebrates two Christmases and treats the whole fortnight from 31 December to 19 January as one long holiday season, so the short answer to “when is Christmas” is both 25 December, now a public holiday for the Catholic and Western-rite minority, and 7 January, the Orthodox Christmas that most Georgians actually keep, complete with the Alilo procession, a loaded New Year’s table that already happened a week earlier, and gozinaki on every counter from Batumi to Telavi. New Year’s Eve itself, not Christmas, is the big family and fireworks night in Georgia; 7 January is quieter, more religious, and centred on church and the Alilo walk rather than gifts.

If you are planning a winter trip, the practical headline is this: 31 December to 2 January and 6 to 7 January are the two blocks when banks, government offices, most shops and some museums close, while ski resorts and tourist-facing restaurants in Tbilisi, Batumi and the mountains stay busy and, for Gudauri and Bakuriani over New Year’s week specifically, become the most expensive and fully booked dates of the entire winter. Below is what each date actually involves, what the Alilo procession is, what belongs on the table, and where to be for the mountains or the lights, with prices and where to check anything that might shift.

The two Christmases: 25 December and 7 January

The Georgian Orthodox Church still follows the Julian calendar for its liturgical year, which is why Christmas falls on 7 January rather than 25 December. In recent years Georgia also added 25 December to the list of public holidays, largely to recognise the country’s Catholic, Armenian Catholic and other Western-rite Christian communities and foreign residents who keep the Gregorian date; it is a quieter day for most Georgian families, who treat it as a normal working day for business purposes in practice even though it is a formal holiday. The date that matters for the national mood, decorations, the Alilo procession and nearly every tourist-facing event is 7 January. Because the rules on which days are paid public holidays can be amended, check the current list on the Labour Code register before booking anything around these dates.

For the official, currently valid list, see the Legislative Herald of Georgia, which publishes the Labour Code and any amendments to the holiday calendar.

Alilo: the Christmas morning procession

Alilo is Georgia’s Christmas Day procession, held every 7 January in towns and villages across the country and most visibly in Tbilisi, where it is led by the Catholicos-Patriarch. Participants, many dressed in white or in regional folk costume, walk from Holy Trinity Cathedral (Sameba) through the Old Town carrying icons, crosses and lanterns, singing carols, and handing out sweets, Christmas cards and small gifts to children and to people on the street. The word comes from “Alleluia,” and the custom is recorded as a living part of Georgian Christmas tradition by the Georgian Orthodox Church itself. If you want to watch it, arrive early near the cathedral or along Rustaveli Avenue and the Old Town streets; it is a public, outdoor event and free to watch, though dress modestly and keep a respectful distance from clergy and church banners. Details of the route and start time for a given year are published close to the date by the Patriarchate.

Several regional towns, including Kutaisi, Batumi, Telavi and Gori, hold their own, smaller Alilo on the same morning, usually starting from the main cathedral in each city. Our Orthodox Christmas in Tbilisi tour times a four-day stay around 7 January specifically so guests can watch Alilo in the capital and then spend a day or two in winter Kakheti.

New Year’s table: what goes on it and why it matters more than Christmas

In Georgia, New Year’s Eve, not Christmas Day, is the big domestic celebration. Families gather for a lavish supra that is laid before midnight and kept going well into 1 January, with a second, lighter sitting on 2 January for visiting relatives and neighbours. The table is meant to be as full and varied as possible, on the belief that an abundant New Year’s table predicts an abundant year. A typical spread includes:

• Satsivi (cold turkey or chicken in a walnut sauce)
• Khachapuri and mtsvadi (grilled pork or beef skewers)
• Dried fruit, pomegranate and fresh tangerines, which ripen in Adjara and Guria in time for the holidays
• Churchkhela and gozinaki as the sweet course
• Wine and chacha for the midnight toasts, led by a tamada if the gathering is large enough to merit one

Midnight itself is marked with fireworks over most Georgian towns; in Tbilisi the main public display is usually set off from the riverside near Rike Park and is visible from much of the Old Town and the left-bank embankments, free to watch from any open public spot. Visitors who want the table experience rather than just the view can join a hosted supra; our Supra Evening with a tamada and polyphonic singers runs year-round and is a close equivalent to what is served at home over the holidays, and the New Year in Georgia — Tbilisi Fireworks, Kakheti Supra and Gudauri Snow six-day tour is built specifically around this week, combining the capital’s fireworks with a Kakheti supra and two nights in the mountains.

Gozinaki and the other festive sweets

Gozinaki is walnuts, occasionally hazelnuts, cooked in boiled honey until it caramelises, then pressed flat and cut into diamond-shaped pieces. It appears on tables from late December through 7 January and is considered the defining sweet of the Georgian winter holidays in much the same way as a stollen or a Christmas pudding elsewhere; some families link the honey to the idea of the returning sun after the solstice. It keeps well, travels well, and is sold in every market and bakery during the season, so it is one of the easiest edible souvenirs to bring home. Churchkhela, the walnut-in-grape-must “Georgian Snickers,” is eaten year-round but is especially prominent at the New Year table alongside gozinaki. Visitors curious about how both are made can join our Bread, Cheese and Churchkhela food workshop in Tbilisi, which runs outside the holiday rush as well.

Gudauri and Bakuriani for New Year: book early, expect peak prices

Georgia’s two main ski resorts, Gudauri on the Georgian Military Highway and Bakuriani in the south, both run their main season from December into April, snow conditions permitting, and the week spanning New Year’s Eve is the single busiest and most expensive stretch of the winter. Hotel rates in both resorts typically rise sharply for the 29 December to 3 January window and rooms sell out weeks in advance, so this is one holiday period where last-minute planning genuinely does not work. Lift passes and current piste and snow conditions for Gudauri are published by the resort operator; always check the live snow report rather than relying on a fixed date, since opening and closing of individual lifts depends on snowfall.

Our Georgia in Winter — Gudauri Skiing, Tbilisi and Kakheti six-day tour combines skiing with city and wine-region time for travellers who want one trip that covers both. For lift status and current resort announcements, see the official Gudauri resort information at gudauri.travel and the national mountain resorts operator at mountainresorts.ge.

Tbilisi in lights: where to see the decorations

Tbilisi strings lights along Rustaveli Avenue, around Freedom Square and Europe Square, and sets up its main public Christmas tree each year, usually close to Holy Trinity Cathedral or in one of the riverside parks; exact placement and the switch-on date vary annually and are announced by the city administration. Old Tbilisi, Fabrika’s courtyard and the Rike Park area are also decorated and tend to be the most photogenic after dark, and several of these spots are already on our Old Tbilisi Walking Tour and Street Art, Courtyards and Fabrika routes, which run as normal through the season outside the main holiday closures. The municipality publishes its New Year programme, including any temporary ice rinks or markets, on its own site; check tbilisi.gov.ge close to your travel dates for the confirmed locations and opening times for that year.

What is closed, and what to plan around

Expect most banks, government offices, post offices and many local shops to close from 31 December through 2 January, and again on 7 January for Orthodox Christmas; supermarkets in central Tbilisi and tourist districts of Batumi usually stay open with reduced hours, and restaurants catering to visitors generally operate throughout, often with a fixed holiday menu on 31 December. Museums vary: the National Museum of Georgia and its branches typically close on 1 January and may adjust hours around 7 January, so check the specific museum’s page before visiting. Intercity trains and domestic flights run on a holiday schedule with reduced frequency on 1 and 7 January; confirm timings on railway.ge for rail and directly with the relevant airport for flights. Mountain roads, especially the Gudauri and Kazbegi sections of the Georgian Military Highway, can close temporarily in heavy snow; the live road status is published by the Roads Department, and our own road-status page mirrors the key closures for travellers.

Practical summary

• Orthodox Christmas is 7 January, not 25 December; 25 December is now also a public holiday but a quieter one in practice
• Alilo, the Christmas procession, happens on the morning of 7 January in Tbilisi and most regional towns, led by the Patriarchate in the capital
• New Year’s Eve, not Christmas, is the main family celebration, with a loaded supra, midnight fireworks and gozinaki on every table
• Gozinaki (honey-caramelised walnuts) is the signature festive sweet; buy it fresh at any market through early January
• Gudauri and Bakuriani hit peak prices and full bookings for the week around 31 December; book accommodation and ski packages well in advance
• Expect closures of banks, offices and many shops from 31 December to 2 January and on 7 January; confirm museum and transport hours case by case before visiting
• Check live snow and road conditions for Gudauri and the Georgian Military Highway before travelling in winter

Sources

• Legislative Herald of Georgia, Labour Code
• Gudauri resort information
• Tbilisi City Hall
• Georgian Railway schedules
• Georgia National Tourism Administration
• Georgia Travel official portal
• Agenda.ge news