VIEW / The office of Saakashvili’s party was attacked in Georgia

Every year in October, Tbilisi is transformed beyond recognition for three or four days, because it is at this time of year that the famous Tbilisoba festival is held here. City Day (or Harvest Day) is celebrated here according to tradition, in order to pay respect to the gods for the collected gifts. The authorities do not miss the opportunity to express their gratitude and present awards to active figures in the capital. But this is not at all why residents of Georgia and other countries love this bright holiday so much.

The Tbilisoba holiday is, without exaggeration, the most important social event in Georgia. It is practically no longer called “Capital Day”, since this concept has gone beyond the territorial boundaries a long time ago. Moreover, the folk festival was liked by residents from different countries. Therefore, it is not surprising that in 2018 Tbilisoba was again held in Moscow.

Once again, the Russian government kindly provided guests from a country with inaccessible mountain peaks and the most delicious wine for the festival in the Hermitage Garden. This year Tbilisoba was held in the capital of Russia for the eighth time in a row. And each time its success surprises Muscovites so much that they look forward to the next celebration.

Interesting story

The popular Tbilisoba festival was first held at the end of October 1979. The reason for its introduction was the anniversary of the city - the 1500th day of the founding of the capital of Georgia fell on this year. And since then, in the history of this state, the rubicon of autumn has become the most anticipated for everyone. Moreover, the organization of the celebration takes place without reference to the date.

In different years, the government of the mountainous country plans to hold the event at the beginning of October, its middle or the end. It is likely that this state of events is due to the timing of the grape harvest, because they completely depend on weather conditions. And all this because one of the traditional celebration numbers is the stamping of wine berries.

In addition, the Tbilisoba program includes performances by famous pop singers, dance groups, cooking amazing Georgian dishes, master classes on making churchkhela, as well as film screenings and exhibitions. For several days, all residents and guests of the capital of Georgia manage to experience the true hospitality of the mountain people.

The most important holiday of Tbilisi residents in Moscow

Sputnik, Alexey Stefanov.

Passersby guessed that Tbilisoba was taking place in the Hermitage Garden long before the view of this Moscow historical garden, located on Karetny Ryad Street, opened up. The smoke with the smell of delicious kebabs wafted all the way to the Garden Ring and no navigators were needed to find the way to the park. And when approaching the Hermitage, Muscovites and guests of the capital began to dance - dance and song groups performed on the main stage one after another, exciting the audience.

Holiday "Tbilisoba in Moscow"

“People of only one nationality live in Tbilisi - Tbilisians. Therefore, Tbilisoba is the most important holiday for us. If someone in Tbilisi tries to start dividing people into other nationalities, they will deal with him very quickly. Tbilisi is a city where people love and respect each other. And I am very glad that I am celebrating this holiday for the eighth time,” Achi Purtseladze told Sputnik Georgia correspondent when he came down from the stage, announcing the performance of the next dance group.

While we were talking with Achi, the “man of luck,” as he likes to call himself, musicians, singers, and dancers came up to us and warmly greeted him, after which they hurried to the makeshift dressing room tent.

Achi Purtseladze and Teimuraz Borjgua at the “Tbilisoba in Moscow” festival

“This is worth a lot to me as a resident of Tbilisi, then as a Georgian and, finally, as a person who can give joy and happiness to everyone who comes here, to celebrate such a big and important holiday,” Purtseladze noted with pride. And although we had met before, I admit that I did not recognize him right away. Achi was so dark that from a distance he looked like an Arab.

Holiday "Tbilisoba in Moscow"

“I just arrived from Turkey today,” the presenter laughed when I told him about this, and ran to the stage to fill the pause between performances. Until the evening, he wound up the audience, named the regions of Georgia and asked their representatives to raise their hands, and often switched to the Georgian language, which caused delight among the audience.

At this time, dancers were warming up near the stage. Nika Chelidze, Inga Bagaturia and Ekaterina Shelia used to perform in the Juta ensemble, but five years ago they founded their own group called Inguri.

Nika Chelidze, Inga Bagaturia and Ekaterina Shelia

“Me, Inga and Katya - we were all born in Moscow, but our parents, originally from Abkhazia, were forced to move to Moscow. And that’s why we consider ourselves to still be from Georgia. We were the first dancers in “Jute”, founded the team, and those who remained in it today also perform here - this is the second and third generation of our former team,” explained Nika Chelidze.

Nika Chelidze

While I was talking with the dancers, a girl in a snow-white national dress approached us. “I just came to support my guys from the Iveria team. Unfortunately, I haven’t been dancing for a year now, and before that I danced for ten years. So, I think maybe I can come back? Although there is a catastrophic lack of time,” admitted Anna Melarava.

Anna Melarava at the Tbilisoba in Moscow festival

Artists continued to come behind the scenes of the stage. Among them is a family group - the “Bojgua Family”, about which I also once wrote.

“For any Georgian who lives outside of Georgia, any national holiday is part of his life. Our family could not help but come today and congratulate all the guests who came to the Hermitage Garden today. We are here to perform our songs and give the audience a lot of positive emotions. Our whole life consists of this - songs, music, and a good mood,” Eliza said, hugging her sons Nikoloz and Vasily while Teimuraz went away to prepare for the performance. And after about fifteen minutes, the Bojgua family really gave a sea of positivity to the audience, who not only danced, but also sang along with this group.

“The Bojgua Family” at the “Tbilisoba in Moscow” festival

But not all guests of the holiday spent time at the main stage. Not far away, Muscovites and guests of the capital surrounded a wine press where a man in high rubber boots was pressing grapes and inviting everyone to join him.

“No, to tell the truth, I don’t have my own winery. I’m generally far from all this, but I saw an ad on the Internet asking me to fill out a form to participate in the Tbilisoba festival, they called me and offered to try myself in the role of Celentano,” laughed Avak Hakobyan, a native of the Georgian city of Khobi. And he admitted that he was a potter at home, and for the last five years he has been restoring furniture in Moscow. Talented people are talented in everything, even in making wine.

Avak Hakobyan at the “Tbilisoba in Moscow” festival

Next to him, two women deftly prepared churchkhela, periodically organizing a master class for everyone. Ketevan Purtskhvanidze supervised the process, and Mariam Arveladze helped her in the production of these Georgian delicacies. Although Mariam’s daughters, Anya and Keti, claimed the main role in the production and sale of churchkhela. “I answer that churchkhela costs 250 rubles when my mother is asked,” Anya said proudly.

Holiday "Tbilisoba in Moscow"

At a decent distance from the main stage, closer to the cafe area, an exhibition of paintings by Kakha Gigauri was organized. He proudly looked towards the stage, listening to the music, and answered questions from the guests of the holiday about his work.

“I came from Tbilisi only for a week and exhibited my paintings here. People are actively interested in my works, they say that they really like everything, but they haven’t bought anything yet. I often exhibit at the Central House of Artists, in the Manege, where my works are in demand. And here people are probably looking at me with disbelief. They cannot understand why a good artist exhibits on the street. But I don’t hold a grudge against anyone - I’m from Tbilisi and couldn’t help but come to Tbilisoba,” said Gigauri, delighted that the press was interested in him.

Kakhi Gigauri at the “Tbilisoba in Moscow” festival

The road to the small stage, located in another part of the Hermitage garden, where the dance master class was held, was completely crowded with small catering outlets serving national cuisine; sweets, pickles and other delicacies were sold there. Many guests of the holiday walked between the rows and tables, wrapped in Georgian flags, some painted national flags on their faces, as is customary for football fans, and some even had outerwear stylized as a flag. But among the passersby there were not only Georgians - people of various nationalities admired the atmosphere, were interested in the names of dishes, how to make them, and even learned how to make khinkali at master classes. And they were glad. That they decided to spend Saturday afternoon and evening in the center of the Tbilisi holiday.

Holiday "Tbilisoba in Moscow"

The same international atmosphere reigned on the small stage, where Valiko Lomiya taught Georgian dances to everyone. “I have been conducting a dance master class at Tbilisoba for the third year now. I really like that people willingly repeat all the movements, convey their energy and love for life in dance. Georgian culture is so elegant that everyone wants to feel a piece of this warmth and aesthetics. From a professional point of view, not everyone can dance, but the guests do everything from the heart, from the bottom of their hearts,” said Valiko and admitted that dancing is a hobby for him, and he works as a lawyer.

Valiko Lomiya at the Tbilisoba in Moscow festival

And at Tbilisoba you could take Georgian language lessons and just watch Georgian films on the big screen. At the festival, anyone could find something for themselves. And in the late afternoon, when the lights turned on in the garden, the main action again moved to the main stage of the park, where famous Georgian singers continued to come and excite the audience. The dances and songs delighted the audience, but the only sad thing was that the next such grandiose Georgian festival in Moscow would take place only a year later.

Holiday "Tbilisoba in Moscow"

What entry rules apply to Georgian citizens?

At the end of 2021, the country's government lifted quarantine for Georgian citizens arriving in the country. Upon arrival, they are required to go into self-isolation. For citizens who do not have the opportunity to self-isolate at home, the state will provide hotel accommodation. If citizens returning to the country have the results of a PCR test carried out within the last 72 hours, then they only need to spend 8 days in self-isolation. If there are no test results, you will have to self-isolate for 12 days.

The atmosphere of Georgia in the center of Moscow: Tbilisoba will be held in the capital of Russia

TBILISI, September 26 – Sputnik. Moscow will join the celebration of the Georgian harvest festival and the day of the city of Tbilisi for the eighth time - a festival of Georgian culture called “Tbilisoba in Moscow 2018” will be held in the Hermitage Garden on October 6.

Tbilisoba 2018 will be held in early October

The event will give Muscovites a unique opportunity for a whole day to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of Georgia, its history, culture, as well as get acquainted with the national cuisine and language.

The organizer of the event is Georgian singer Tamta Pulariani. The festival will welcome guests from 12:00 to 21:00 Moscow time. Admission to the festival is free.

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Artists from Georgia and Russia will perform at the main concert of the holiday. Among the announced performers: Vakhtang Kalandadze, the Bojgua family of musicians, Achi Purtseladze, Georgiy Melikishvili, Shalva Morelli, Evgeny Gor and many others. The list of speakers is being expanded.

The space of the Tbilisoba in Moscow holiday will be divided into several main holiday zones. You can taste Georgia at the food court: popular Moscow restaurants serving Georgian cuisine will offer national dishes: kharcho, chakapuli, pkhali, khachapuri, gebzhalia and many others.

Celebration of "Tbilisoba" in Moscow

The organizers have not forgotten about lovers of sweets - a master class on preparing churchkhela will be held especially for them.

The wine will flow like a river - wine tastings are planned at the festival. A grape press specially made for Tbilisoba in Moscow will be installed in the Hermitage. This way, guests will have the chance to prepare grape juice using ancient technology. All this will take place to the accompaniment of Georgian songs and melodies.

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In addition, festival guests will be able to attend Georgian language lessons from the Geolanguage online school. Her teacher, Associate Professor of Moscow State University Liana Basheleishvili will give a lecture on the Georgian language and ethnography.

You can get an insight into the culture of Georgia in the area of fine and applied arts: samples of painting, interior items, souvenirs from different regions of Georgia, as well as ceramics and outfits of modern Georgian designers will be exhibited there.

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The best city on earth: a declaration of love for Tbilisi

Especially for little visitors to the festival, a drawing area will be organized in the garden under the guidance of teachers from Veronica Kalacheva’s drawing school.

In Tbilisi, in 2021, “Tbilisoba” will be celebrated for the 34th time. City Day was first celebrated in October 1979. The initiator of the holiday is the famous Georgian traveler, local historian and journalist Gvandzhi Mania. In the early 2010s, the holiday began to be celebrated as a festival of Georgian culture in some countries of the former USSR.

Georgian holiday “Tbilisoba in Moscow” 2021

On October 7, the Georgian cultural festival “Tbilisoba in Moscow” will be held for the seventh time in the Hermitage Garden. The holiday is turning into a good tradition of Moscow autumn, becoming more and more vibrant and large-scale. This year, the organizers have prepared a grandiose program that will allow festival guests to fully immerse themselves in the atmosphere of this hospitable country for the whole day.

Georgian holiday “Tbilisoba in Moscow” 2017

The garden space will be divided into several main festive areas. You can taste Georgia at the food court located along the perimeter of the Hermitage. On counters decorated in ethnic style, popular Moscow restaurants of Georgian cuisine will offer national dishes that have become legends of gastronomy throughout the world - khinkali, chakapuli, pkhali, khachapuri, gebzhalia and much more.

According to established tradition, each year one or another region of the country is represented at the festival. This time the harvest festival will be held under the sign of the region of Sairme, known for its healing waters far beyond the borders of Georgia. According to legend, the famous water source was accidentally discovered by brother hunters chasing a wounded deer. During the chase, they found a spring, near which many deer quenched their thirst. Since then, this area has been called Sairme, which translated from Georgian means “place of deer.”

Festival visitors will be treated to a series of culinary master classes. Guests will learn how to cook food from the region of Sairme and other regions of the country, they will learn not only all the secrets of its preparation, but also the amazing traditions of feasting and life in each region. Authentic Georgian bread “Shoti” will be baked in a “tone” - tandoor, which will be brought from Georgia for the Moscow “Tbilisoba”. You can take the fragrant shoti home with you and the next day once again enjoy the taste of a wonderful holiday. The organizers have not forgotten about lovers of sweets - a master class on preparing churchkhela, the famous Georgian “Snickers”, will be held especially for them.

Georgian holiday “Tbilisoba in Moscow” 2017

Not a single celebration in Georgia is complete without grapes, so the festival will feature a “Grape Press” specially made for the holiday. Guests will be provided with rubber boots and a rare opportunity to try the most ancient and fun way of making grape juice. And all this exciting action will take place to the accompaniment of beautiful Georgian songs and melodies sounding on the main stage. The concert program will last the whole day and artists from both Russia and Georgia will delight festival guests.

You can get a feel for the country’s culture in the area of fine and applied arts. Visitors will be shown paintings, interior items, souvenirs from different regions of Georgia, ceramics and clothing from Georgian designers. A specially invited guest, Associate Professor of Moscow State University Liana Otarovna Basheleishvili, will give a lecture on the Georgian language and ethnography, because it is with Language and Ethnicity that every country begins.

Even the youngest guests will be interested in the holiday - a huge coloring book with characters from Georgian cartoons will be installed in the garden especially for them. And for the whole family, sports competitions based on the national sports games “Lakhta” and “Leloburti” will be organized.

You can share the wonderful moments of the harvest festival in the interactive zone. A unique postcard will be issued especially for the holiday. A blue mailbox will be installed on the festival grounds. Anyone can send a postcard to any city in the world.

You can find out more on the organizers’ website: https://www.mosgorsad.ru/events/tbilisoba3/

“Tbilisoba” gathered friends

For the seventh time, a cheerful holiday was held in Moscow - Tbilisoba, where citizens and guests of the capital were able to get to know the culture and cuisine of Georgia better, as well as learn everything about Georgian wine and how to choose it correctly.

Despite the rainy weather, the Hermitage Garden, where the festival took place, was crowded. The entire space was occupied by thematic zones: in the Georgian courtyard, lavash was baked in a traditional folk oven, and in the grape press, anyone could feel with their own feet the process of preparing Georgian wine. In numerous tents, festival guests feasted on shish kebab, baklava, churchkhela, chacha and other gifts from Georgia.