Chichilaki 2025 in Georgia

Varying from 8 inches (20 cm) to several feet, this Christmas tree will leave you in awe. The tradition of decorating a home with hazelnut branches shaved to resemble a coniferous tree is a historic one and was newly reinvented after the Soviet regime collapse. The branches are pale and decorated with fruit and berries, most commonly pomegranates and apples. Georgians believe that the shaved branch looks a lot like St Basil's beard, who is thought to visit people during Christmas time, a character similar to Santa.

Where to Find Chichilaki

Chichilaki is especially popular in the Guria region of Western Georgia and other regions near the Black Sea, including Samegrelo. However, you might spot these interesting decorations closer to Christmastime in stores in some major Georgian cities, like Batumi and Tbilisi. The New Year is called Kalanda in Guria, and Chichilaki can be seen everywhere in the villages and the Guria region's capital, Ozurgeti. Besides, making chichilaki is believed to be more environmentally friendly than cutting a pine tree for Christmas since the craft only requires branches and not the entire tree.

Customs

Adorned with fruits, chichilaki stay up during the entire holiday season, symbolizing the family's wishes for bountiful harvest and future prosperity. At the end of the holidays, on 19th of January, the branches are burnt as a way to ward off any evil and bad things that happened in the past year and bring even more luck and success.