The New Year holiday was generally associated with the worship of the sun deity. The sun, giving people the light and warmth, was considered the most important deity in all ancient cultural nations, whose festival was greatly celebrated and also denoted the beginning of a new time, a new countdown. New Year's Eve, which is called "Kalanda", was widely celebrated in Samegrelo.
A "Chichilak" or "Kuchuch" was prepared for this day in Samegrelo. The “chichilaki” is a traditional Christmas tree made from a walnut or juniper tree. A day before the “Calalnda, the head of the family would start making the “chichilaki” out of the previously prepared branch of a tree. First, the branch would be treated with fire to make it soft and easy to shave, then it was peeled and finally, they started to shave it to form a coniferous tree. The curls of “chichilaki” had to be long and curly. Usually, “chichilakis” were made of 1-2 meters high, but some wealthy families could afford even higher “chichilaki”, which would reach the ceiling of their homes. “Chichilakis” should be white and as curly as possible and its curls were called “a beard of Basila” (of Saint Basil).
Chichilakis’ peaks were divided into four parts and four sticks with cross-points were placed inside, and candles were attached to each of the four tips. Chichilakis were decorated with fruits and sweets: apples, pomegranates, Churchkhelas (traditional Georgian sweet), candies, etc.
People also decorated them with walnut ivy, red-berries, nuts and laurel branches, silk thread, gold and silver jewelry, money, etc. The head of the family would place the decorated “chicilaki” in one of the corners of the house.Housewives would bake New Year's pies. First, they would bake a large mchadi (maize bread), which was called "Basila" (after Saint Basil of Caesarea). They also baked small pies using pork fat and the head of the family would put them into a basket, bring them to the wine press and hang them there. Then they would bake small oblong pieces for the pigs and arrange them on the plate. At the end, the housewife would bake an oblong bread, a "pie", in which they would put a "hardened" (dried) egg yolks.They would attach candles to the edge of a concave wooden platter and fill is with pies and a boiled head of the pig, which was a necessary component. When the “chichilaki” and a festive platter were prepared, the family would start fortunetelling by cracking the walnuts. For this purpose, one would make a wish and crack the designated walnut and if the nut had a whole and full heart, the wish would come true in the upcoming year.
New Year – Calanda
