Georgian girls are distinguished by their incredible beauty and bright appearance. Georgia is a country rapidly developing in a European manner, but the local population still honors and observes the traditions of their ancestors. How do Georgians live today and how are they noticeably different from women of other nationalities?

Georgian families

For many centuries in Georgia, women were raised to be like men. Even today, complete patriarchy reigns in the vast majority of Georgian families. The wife is lucky if her husband is the eldest child. According to the customs of this country, younger sons must live with their parents even after marriage. At the same time, their wives completely and unquestioningly obey not only their husbands, but also their mother-in-law, who in this situation plays the role of “senior housewife”. All this sounds too unusual for a European person, doesn’t it? Historically, the solution to all everyday issues lies on the fragile shoulders of women. In mountain villages today, every family has a large farm. At the same time, the function of a man is to work and provide for his family. Real Georgians do not help their spouses around the house. A woman should be not only an excellent housewife, but also an excellent housekeeper.

Raising Georgians

All women in Georgia, without exception, are wonderful housewives. Many families in modern cities choose the European lifestyle. But even in this case, it is a real shame for a mother if her daughter does not know how to cook national dishes and take care of the house. Today, all girls in Georgia receive secondary education. City residents often graduate from college. Particular attention is paid to raising children at home. Georgian girls are distinguished by pride, high morality, incredible love for their homeland and their own family. Georgians are highly respected in this country. They often look soft and resigned, but at the same time, most of them are distinguished by incredible strength of spirit and have a steely character.

Etiquette of Georgian women

In Georgia, it is not customary to look strangers in the eyes, especially men. This behavior is considered defiant. Many Georgian girls have been able to look “through people” since childhood; this is the look that is considered acceptable and acceptable. During a conversation in this country, it is customary to keep a distance of at least a meter. Only close relatives or good friends can get closer to each other. Separately, it is worth noting the norms of everyday clothing. The traditional color for Georgians is black. Most often, women wear skirts below the knees. They also choose sweaters and blouses in dark shades. Accordingly, accessories are selected to match.

Beauty in Georgian style

What do very beautiful girls look like in Georgia? Georgian women are naturally beautiful. Thick dark hair, dark skin and expressive eyes. Among the representatives of this nationality it is simply impossible to find a clearly unattractive person. Many Georgian women value their hair and grow long braids. Short haircuts are not popular among local women. Georgian women are naturally slender and have very feminine figures. However, in adulthood, many women begin to gain extra pounds. Most often, the reason for this is a passion for national cuisine combined with a slower metabolism. To correct their figure, beautiful Georgian girls choose diets, but sports activities in this country are considered an unwomanly thing. Many Georgian women enjoy wearing costume jewelry and jewelry. Residents of many provinces of Georgia use cosmetics only on major holidays. The situation is completely different in big cities. Here women wear makeup every day, black eyeliner is very popular. All Georgians, without exception, are partial to perfumes.

Female Georgian names

Many Georgians, even today, take very seriously what to name their newborn child. National ones in Georgia are often borrowed from ancient legends and traditions. In this country, it is important not only how musical a personal address to a person sounds. Georgians believe that a name can influence a person’s character and destiny. Jamaliya ("beauty"), Mariam ("decisive"), Mzevinar ("sun"), Tinatin ("glimmer of the sun"), Teona ("thought of God"), Aliko ("all-knowing") - this is what the girls are called in this country for many generations. However, it is worth noting that old names are not very popular with young people. And often abbreviations used in everyday life are invented from full and complex names. Many “modern” parents in Georgia name their daughters the same as Europeans or Russians. Diana, Christina, Ekaterina, Marina, Maya, Natalie, Nellie, Polina, Sofia are modern Georgian girl names. Most Georgians are Christians. Many families choose biblical names for their babies.

Relationships with men and wedding traditions

Most Georgian girls get married at a young age. In some regions of the country, an ancient custom involving bride kidnapping is still common. And yet, most marriages in this country are concluded by mutual consent and agreement between the newlyweds. Young Georgian girls should be modest and chaste. Young Georgians are advised to behave in such a way that none of their neighbors can even think of anything bad. A wedding in Georgia is a special event. They prepare for the celebration for some time; all relatives and friends are invited to it. Even in large cities, many ancient customs are observed today. A wedding in Georgia is a very colorful and interesting event with traditional dances and songs, beautiful toasts and an atmosphere of general fun.

Features of life in cities and villages

Modern Georgia is a country of contrasts. Small villages and hamlets live the same way as they did decades ago. But large cities are not much different from European megacities. The upbringing of Georgian girls largely depends on how strict the father is in the family. In most villages, even when swimming in ponds, you must wear clothes. At the same time, fashion boutiques, cafes and nightclubs are open in the cities. Many representatives of modern youth dress the way they want and look quite extravagant. But, of course, such behavior is unacceptable in rural areas. The actions and appearance of Georgian girls in the provinces have been discussed for years. Mistakes are unacceptable, because even today, for most young Georgians, the priority goal is a successful marriage. This means that the local population tries to take care of their own reputation from their youth.

The legendary Queen Tamara is the ideal image of a Georgian woman

Many creative people looked for inspiration in the landscapes of Georgia and the beauty of local women. The main muse and the real Georgian is Queen Tamara. This woman went down in history thanks to her wisdom and great achievements. The queen built cities, made significant government decisions, and in her free time from political affairs she was personally involved in raising children and doing handicrafts. If you believe the words of famous poets, Tamara was incredibly beautiful and feminine. She was often called simply “perfection.” Many modern very beautiful girls in Georgia strive to develop their character and dream of becoming at least remotely like the great Queen Tamara.

The treasury of names can with full confidence include Georgian women's names, many of which have a long history, but still have not lost their relevance...

From Masterweb

The history of names is interesting and instructive; each nation has its own traditions of naming children. And Georgia is no exception. In the pre-Christian period, the most ancient of female Georgian names arose, having natural roots or denoting some quality inherent in a girl.

The second category of names is of Christian origin, which is associated with the religion of the state. Finally, another group has eastern roots, this is easily explained by the geographical location of Georgia. Let's take a closer look at these options below.

The most beautiful and musical

Among the Georgian female names there are many that are very smooth, sonorous and therefore especially attractive. Their list with meaning is presented below:

• Aliko - “possessing omniscience.”
• Ana – “desirable”, “reliable”.
• Daria – “mistress”.
• Jemal, Jamaliya - “perfect”, “ideal”.
• Kekela - “beauty”.
• Katie - “purity and innocence.”
• Maya is the “patron of fertility.”
• Mtsyre, Tsiru, Tsiri - “girl”.
• Nani, Nanuli, Naniya - “baby”.
• Rusiko - “long years of life.”
• Saba - “born in the rays of the sunset.”
• Sakvarela – “beloved”.
• Salome – “peaceful”.
• Sofiko – “wise”.
• Suliko – “endowed with a soul.”
• Tamina - “living in peace and prosperity.”
• Khatia – “flawless, like a picture.”
• Eteri – “special”.

Many of these options sound somewhat unusual to European ears, but in Georgia they are quite familiar.

With natural roots

The list of Georgian female names has a large number of options, the names of which are derived from the names of objects of the natural world, in particular flowers. Thus, beautiful and sonorous names for girls Gika and Giuli come from the name of the rose flower. And Gela, Gelia and Gelika, Mgelia, Mgela - from a harsh predator - the wolf. Marina, Marine, Marianna mean “sea”. Natella – “firefly”, Tamar – “date palm”. Endzela means “snowflake”, Dzaglika means “little dog”

The “stone” theme is represented by a whole group of similar options that have the meaning “ruby”. This is Lali, Lale, Lala. The names Mzevinar, Mzekala and Mzia are derived from the name of the most important luminary - the Sun.

Christian stories

Speaking about female Georgian names, it should be noted that one of their sources is the Christian religion, which is why you can meet a Georgian woman with one of these options:

• Christina is a “Christian.”
• Mariam, Maro, Mariko - “beloved of God.”
• Natalie – “born on Christmas Day.”
• Tamta – “dedicated to God.”
• Theona – “divine mind”.
• Eliso - “praying”.

These beautiful female Georgian names are very in demand and popular, they are still used today, but they are not among the leaders in terms of frequency.

Modern borrowings

The list of Georgian female names includes those with European or Russian roots. They are used in the modern world: Diana, Inga, Zhanette, Mary, there are also variants familiar to the Russian ear: Ekaterina (you can also find the spelling Ekaterina, Ketavani), Ilona, ​​Lika, Nellie, Nonna, Polina, Nina, Liana. They are gradually replacing folk anthroponyms, becoming more and more in demand.

Most often, national Georgian female names are used in villages and villages, giving way to more modern options in cities. Couples are also acceptable: for example, there is Sofia and Sofiko, both names can be used by Georgians. Eastern Irine is very similar to the Russian Irina, the name means “bringer of peace”, and Marine resembles Marina, both stand for “sea”.

Georgian names are interesting in themselves, especially if they are ancient, coming from the distant past. Modern versions have lost their romance, do not sound so smooth and melodic, and do not carry any deep meaning. However, it is they who displace ancient anthroponyms and lead to their withdrawal from use and complete loss. But many Georgians honor the traditions of the past and continue to use their own ancient vocabulary.

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Over the centuries-old history of Georgia, the world has developed a certain idea about Georgian women: modest and sweet, beautiful and brought up with respect for elders and men. The beauty of Georgian women

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Over the centuries-old history of Georgia, the world has developed a certain idea about Georgian women: modest and sweet, beautiful and raised to respect elders and men.

The beauty of Georgian women has been known since ancient times. German philosopher Immanuel Kant pis A l: “Every European who comes to Georgia unanimously speaks about the very special beauty of Georgian women” and “Georgia is a greenhouse of beauty.” But Georgian women are distinguished not only by physical perfection - their selfless love for the Motherland and the Orthodox faith evokes no less admiration.

On the streets of Tbilisi you can often meet a Georgian woman in a long black dress, with an airy scarf on her shoulders and the aroma of tart perfume, radiating an inexplicable charm. She is so beautiful that passersby turn to look at her.

Georgian muse - Queen Tamar

Georgia has long been a country of charming beauties and muses. “Georgia is a spiritualized Galatea transformed into a woman,” wrote A. Dumas.

For centuries, Georgian poets have recognized Queen Tamar, the embodiment of eternal femininity, as their muse. They praised her intelligence and beauty. She was called not a queen, but a king, a vessel of wisdom, a smiling sun, a slender reed; they glorified her meekness and hard work, obedience and religiosity, and enchanting beauty. There were legends about its perfection that have survived to this day. Hand And Queen Tamar was searched for by the Byzantine princes and the Shah of Persia.

Hard work and wisdom made Queen Tamar an exemplary ruler. Beauty and charm aroused universal admiration and veneration of the people. “Beautiful, like a heavenly angel”... Queen Tamar is the ruler of a powerful, developed state, for the prosperity of which she herself has done a lot. Builder of cities and fortresses, many of which have survived and preserve her memory. She sat on the throne, conducted state affairs, received ambassadors, played with her two children, accompanied her husband to war, and also sat, like any other Georgian woman, at yarn or sewing. The mountaineers canonized Tamar.

Georgian woman - mother and wife

A girl in Georgia is raised in the traditions of chastity. Staring at men is considered the height of obscenity; looking “through” a person is encouraged. The man is the head of the Georgian family as protection and support, and the woman is the soul of the family, the keeper of the hearth.

A Georgian woman is very proud. Every woman has a destiny to be a wife and mother, but for Georgians, like other Caucasian peoples, this lies much deeper. Family has always been the most sacred thing for Georgians, including the attitude towards relatives. A Georgian woman is first and foremost a mother and wife.

In the mountainous regions of Georgia, a real wife is always next to a man; she does not create her own destiny. Families of Chechens, Abkhazians, Ossetians survive to a large extent thanks to women: the country is saved by the silent hard work of women at home, their complete dedication for the benefit of loved ones. A woman is not at all delighted with those traditions that view her as a man’s junior partner. However, she rarely protests against them, because she understands that her protest will hurt her loved ones, who are so calm and comfortable under her wing.

Chechen and Ossetian women are often widows. They often dress like widows, because tomorrow they may not see their husband. He could die in the mountains, leave with his friends and not return.

Georgian women in large cities have much more opportunities for self-realization: they receive higher education and devote themselves to creativity and career. But they never forget about the family: what is sacred is not betrayed or forgotten.

H How does a Georgian woman differ from a European woman?

For a European woman, the classic clothing option is a beige skirt, a white blouse, café-au-lait shoes, a bright scarf around the neck, a light jacket and a handbag to match the shoes. For a Georgian, this is most often a black long skirt, a dark blouse, patent black shoes, a black jacket and a black handbag to match.

A European woman will prefer a comfortable holiday to participation in political demonstrations in the piercing cold and wind. The Georgian woman will be the first to join the ranks of the protesters and defend her beloved politician, man and Motherland with her breasts.

European women get married and divorced many times. For her, the number of attempts does not matter. A Georgian woman gets married as a young charmer or well over 30, but at the same time she must be a girl. Whether she agrees to the marriage or not, she is still kidnapped.

A European woman works, raises children and runs a household. Very rarely does a Georgian woman go to work, but she is an ideal housewife.

To maintain a slim figure, European women play sports intensively. A Georgian woman only adheres to a diet; greens and vegetables predominate on her table.

A European woman without makeup often looks like a blank sheet of paper, and only with makeup takes on the image. When she is in an evening dress and diamonds, she is simply irresistible! A Georgian woman without makeup is fresh and attractive, with makeup she is a beauty, and in an evening dress she outshines the sparkle of the diamonds of a European woman.

Georgian men often look for thrills and entertainment with European women, but they find true love, devotion and comfort only from Georgians. For them, a Georgian woman will forever remain an ideal woman, wife and mother.

Of course, these differences should not be taken seriously, but, as we know, there is only a grain of joke in every joke!

Tatiana Kolesnik

Georgians in national clothes

In 1996, the book “Personal and Family Names in Georgia” by Avtandil Sigaladze and Anzor Totadze was published in Tbilisi. It presents data on the degree of distribution of personal names in the regions of Georgia. The appendix lists the 300 most common names. They are given in Georgian writing. I turned to the Georgian Embassy in Kazakhstan with a request to help me write down these names in Russian. I had an appointment. I arrived at the embassy mansion and, under the dictation of the cultural attaché, wrote down all these 300 names in Russian script. I will give these names:

It is easy to see that the above list, most likely compiled on the basis of address bureau data, ignores the linguistic connections between individual forms of names. As a result, names such as, for example, are presented as different Nina And Nino, Elene, Elena And Lena, Kakhaberi And Kakha, Irina, Irine And Ira etc. In other words, phonetic and spelling variations of the same names, full and abbreviated forms of them are given separately. That is, there are actually fewer different names in this list than the given forms.

The presentation of the material itself departs from the tradition accepted in scientific anthroponymy of presenting male and female names in separate lists (in the books, male and female names are given in one list - hence the difference in their number). But if I did not combine different forms and variants of names, I separated male names from female ones and give them separately for greater user convenience.

In this case, a number of names had to be separated into a separate subgroup. Among Georgians they are used both as male and female. Perhaps this third group of names can be supplemented from the remaining two groups of names. In total, the list contains 131 male names, 162 female names and 7 that are both male and female. As noted in the book, the list does not include residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (obviously, data for these two regions was not available to the author).

Georgian woman in national clothes

Of course, the given names do not exhaust the entire wealth of the system of personal names of the indigenous population of Georgia. But it allows you to see the main stages of the formation of a national name. The names from the list can be combined into several historical and cultural layers, the penetration of each of which among Georgians is associated with the historical stages of the people and country.

The most ancient layer is the names associated with the living languages ​​of Georgia, formed from common nouns understandable to the masses. For example: men's Bichiko'boy', Mgelika'wolf cub', Dzaglika‘puppy, doggy’, Chichiko‘little man’, female Gogol'young woman', Mzekala‘sun-maiden’, Cira‘red maiden’.

Some names of original origin arose at a relatively later time. For example, male Vaja‘courageous, man’ appeared as part of a pseudonym ( Vazha Pshelava) famous Georgian poet Luka Razikashvili (1861–1915). The grandfather of this poet was the first bearer of the name Imedi‘hope’, which has become popular among Georgians.

Some of the original names have been preserved for centuries and are still popular today (for example, male Badri, Mindia, women's Dali, Tsiala). The names of this group arose in separate ethnographic groups of Georgians (Khevsurs, Pshavs, Imeretians, Gurians, Mingrelians, Svans, etc.). Over time, some of them became nationwide.

Throughout their history, the indigenous peoples of Georgia closely communicated with the peoples of neighboring regions and states - the North Caucasus, Armenia, Iran, Byzantium, the Arab Caliphate, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia, etc. And all these contacts left an anthroponymic “trace” in the names of Georgians.

Significant contributions to the system of personal names of Georgians were made by Iran and the Arab Caliphate. The names were borrowed with the penetration of Perso-Arabic literature. Yes, men's Rostom, Bezhan, Givi– Georgian forms of Iranian names Rustam, Bijan, Giv, which were worn by the heroes of the Iranian epic “Shah-name”. The part of the epic in which these heroes act became especially popular among Georgians. Other names of this cultural-historical layer include men's Vakhtang, Zurabi, Muradi, Ramazi, women's Leila, Rusudani, Turpa. At the same time the name Vakhtang, known since the 5th century, is unfamiliar to the Iranians themselves.

Many Georgian names appeared in connection with the spread of Christianity (Georgians adopted Christianity already in the 5th century). These names are biblical (mostly Hebrew), Greek and Latin in their linguistic origin. Here are some of them: Giorgi, Grigoli, David, Ioane(from John), Isak, Mose(from Moses). The names of this group penetrated particularly actively among Georgians after the annexation of Georgia to Russia (1801 - East Georgian Kingdom, 1804 - Imreti, Megrelia, Guria, 1810 - Abkhazia, 1858 - Svaneti).

After reunification with Russia, the Georgian Church lost its autocephaly (independence) for a century. The Georgian Church became part of the Russian Orthodox Church on the basis of an exarchate. However, soon there was either nothing left of autonomous rights, or only one form remained. Since 1817, bishops of Russian nationality were appointed exarchs in Georgia; Church property of Georgia was also transferred to the disposal of the Russian authorities (on March 12, 1917, after the overthrow of tsarism in Russia, the Georgians themselves decided to restore the autocephaly of their church). Joining the Russian Orthodox Church contributed to the fact that Georgians actively named their children with names from the Orthodox calendar. However, anthroponymic contacts between Georgia and Russia through churches were not one-sided. The Russian Orthodox Church included in its month the days of memory of a number of Georgian saints:

Men's: Abo, Aviv, Anthony, Archil, Bidzin, Gabriel, Gobron, Gregory, David, Eustathius, Euthymius, Zeno, Hilarion, Isaac, Ise, Isidore, John, Constantine, Luarsab, Michael, Neophyte, Pyrrhus, Razhden, Stefan, Dry, Tarichan, Shalva, Shio, Elizbar, Thaddeus
Women's: Ketevan, Nina, Tamara, Shushanika

Among those listed there are names completely unknown to Russian Orthodox before their inclusion in the month book ( Abo, Archil, Bidzin, Gobron, Laursab, Pyrrhus, Razhden, Sukhiy, Tarichan, Shalva, Shio, Elizbar; Ketevan, Tamara). Some correlated with names already present in the calendar: Ise And Jesse, Shushanika And Susanna. From this group of Georgian names (I do not take into account the names of Georgian saints that coincide with the names of Russian Orthodox saints - Anthony, David, Mikhail etc.) in the Russian environment only women’s Nina And Tamara. The popularity of these names in Russian families was facilitated by the works of M. Yu. Lermontov. True name Nina was known to Russians even without Georgians, but as an unofficial form of a number of official Orthodox names - Antonina, Domnina, Ansastasia. In the poem “Winter Road” by A. S. Pushkin, the lyrical hero, plunging into dreams, reflects:

Boring, sad...
Tomorrow, Nina,
Tomorrow, returning to my dear,
I'll forget myself by the fireplace...

Who is Nina, whose name is mentioned by the lyrical hero, remains unknown.

By tradition, the days of remembrance of the listed Georgian saints are still included in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Names of Slavic origin were also borrowed, in particular Vladimir. It is used by Georgians not only in its full form, but in its abbreviated form - Lado.

Since the end of the 19th and especially in the 20th century, names from Western Europe have become widespread among Georgians, mainly through literature and cinema: Albert, Maurice, Carlo, Edward, Diana, Inga, Irma and others. Georgians did not remain aloof from the names of Sovietism (for example, Dictatorship, Communists).

Ending -O in a number of Georgian names (especially male ones - Andro, Dato, Lado etc.) represents a form of the vocative case developed in the Georgian language.

In Russian texts, the names of Georgians are often given in an adapted form - not Giorgi, A Georgiy, Not Akaki, A Akakiy, Not Iuri, A Yuri, Not Vasily, A Basil etc. In general, the transfer of Georgian names using Russian written means creates certain difficulties. Thus, it is difficult to convey Georgian names containing the letters ა, ე. For example, in female names ან ა and თ ე ა at the end there is a letter corresponding to the Russian “a”. But should it be conveyed in Russian through “a” in both cases? If yes, then in this case it will be Ana And Thea. But in the Russian name book the spelling is more common Thea.

Similar questions arise when transferring names containing ე. In Russian it corresponds to both “e” and “e”. That is, is it necessary to convey the name of a Georgian woman in Russian as Ekaterine, Ekaterine, Ekaterine or stick to the adapted spelling Catherine?

Another question is whether to double consonants in Georgian names like Ana, Natela, Neli, which correspond to Russian names Anna, Natella, Nelly? There are no double consonants in Georgian orthography. If we take transliteration (letter-by-letter transmission of names) as the basic principle, then, of course, such a question will not arise - doubling consonants is inappropriate. But what about practical transcription?

I believe that in Georgia itself, the issues of written transmission of personal names and surnames into other languages ​​(including Russian) are the subject of research. At least in Soviet times, principles for conveying geographical names on geographical maps were developed for each of the written languages. They could be taken as a basis for the written transmission of personal names and surnames.

Some work is also being done towards establishing the etymology of Georgian personal names. I can recommend the following publication:

Glonti A. A. Kartvelian proper names. Dictionary of anthroponyms. Tbilisi, 1967 (in Georgian).

© A. I. Nazarov.