As we’ve said before, Christmas isn’t The Big Holiday over here… it’s New Year’s.
Our host mom has been busy for the last three days, sun up to midnight (literally), preparing food, cleaning, rearranging furniture and generally getting ready for a weekend of festivities.
Things officially begin in a few hours, with a midnight supra, followed by fireworks and a concert in the park. Unlike in America, New Year’s Eve in Georgia is primarily spent with your immediate family at your own house. On New Year’s Day, however, the fun continues as friends and family come over to visit, and we go visit people all over town. For only being in town fewer than 6 months, I think McKinze and I have a pretty full dance card.
Before the wine and smiles start flowing, I thought I’d throw up a few pictures I snapped around town earlier today. All week, the town has been hustling and bustling much more than normal, as people from the surrounding villages pack the streets, both to buy and to sell candies, oranges, fireworks, fish and much more.
-- This side street is normally pretty empty, but today it is lined up with people - all selling pretty much the same things. --
-- This chicken (still alive when I took the pic) may already be on someone's plate by now. --
-- More chickens - further along in the process. --
-- Churchkhela (walnuts that have been dipped in grape juice and sugar and dried) are a traditional Georgian dessert. And unlike in Iowa, here bananas and oranges are in season now! --
-- Just a small section of the bigger-than-usual "meat row" at the bazaar, with the kinds of bones and animal parts that you never see at HyVee. --
-- Not sure if this guy is for sale or what... --
-- Don't forget about the fish - an expensive delicacy over here. --
-- Seeing large fish like these is pretty rare at our bazaar. --
-- Finally, of course, fireworks! Every Georgian boy's favorite New Year's toy. At least that's what the near-constant explosions around town the last few days would lead me to believe. --
-- More oranges, more fireworks. --
-- A persistent haze hangs over the city this time of year, from all the wood-burning stoves heating houses and buildings. --
-- One of many delicious homemade foods waiting to be devoured this weekend! --
Happy New Year, everyone!
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For some reason that detail about the persistent haze from wood-burning stoves is one of the most interesting facts you’ve shared yet. A thing that seems obvious once learned, but completely unexpected.
Of course everything you share is fascinating and welcome. Looking forward to hearing and seeing more!
Happy New Year!
Along with the haze is the smell of the haze. We hang our clothes outside to dry, and they all have a strong “burnt” smell that will never make it onto a dryer sheet. Happy New Year to you, too, Trev!
Wow, it is amazing to see these pictures! I stared at the boar head (?) for about 5 minutes! The churchkhela look and sound really yummy!
The persistent haze bothers me…None of the pictures I’ve seen indicate the landscape is denuded, but where could so much wood be coming from?
Have you ever seen anyone over there use a solar oven similar to this? http://www.sunoven.com/ Just curious!
To be honest, I chided Sean for putting up the fish pictures (which totally disgust me). However, we want to honestly portray out experience here…which includes big, small, raw and all other kinds of fish, everywhere!
Our area isn’t forrested (it’s a little drier down here), but if you look back at pictures from our time in the village, the hills are covered with trees. In fact, our first host brother in the village took us up the hill behind our house (post here) and while the photos don’t show it, there were lots of tree stumps from people that had come up to get wood. It’s very sad, but they have to stay warm somehow.
I have never seen a sun oven and doubt I ever will – except maybe in Tbilisi. Sometimes people here are incredibly environmentally friendly (they reuse everything, have hardly any trash, etc) but in other ways they aren’t (some families leave their faucet running 24/7 so the pipes don’t freeze). People don’t think of it in terms of saving the environment…they do what’s practical. And practical is saving money by fixing instead of buying new; keeping the faucet on so pipes don’t freeze (they don’t pay for water anyway); and burning anything and everything to keep warm.
Good news is that slowly more and more people are getting gas heat. It’s at our office now and it’s warm and lovely!