Posted by City Sightseeing Tbilisi: 2016-12-23   |   Chichilaki – Georgian Christmas Tree (+how to make it yourself)
Chichilaki – the Georgian ritual Christmas tree was an inseparable part of New Year and Christmas tradition in ancient Georgia. Or more precisely, Western Georgia, where the New Year was called Kalanda.
Early in the morning, the Chichilaki Masters, called Veluri, would go into the forest just before the New Year, cut a branch of a hazelnut tree and soak it in water. Then, they would heat it over a fire, remove the bark and start cutting thin shavings from end to top. This is how Chichilaki – the Georgian national Christmas tree is made.
Of course, the masters
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