Chichilaki

Shaving the wood

Woodworkers fashion each chichilaki from straight hazelnut or walnut branches that have been left to dry. By carefully paring down the stick with a blade, the maker creates long, curly fronds of pale wood that cascade around the central stem. These handmade pieces vary greatly in size, ranging from twenty centimetres tall up to grand displays reaching three metres. Because artisans use pruned boughs rather than felling live pines, Georgians view this festive craft as a gentle choice for surrounding forests, avoiding the strict penalties imposed on unlawful evergreen harvesting.

Meaning and adornment

The pale strands of the tree evoke the bushy white beard of Saint Basil the Great, a figure associated with midwinter visits and gift-giving. Georgians also regard the carved staff as a representation of the tree of life. To prepare for the holiday, households decorate the curly fronds with dried madder alongside fresh pomegranates, apples, and small berries. These colorful additions serve as sacred offerings to heaven, asking for good crops and a generous harvest in the coming year. In the Samegrelo region, some people also purchase the carvings in memory of departed relatives.

The Epiphany fire

A chichilaki remains inside the home throughout the festive period following Christmas Day on 7 January. Its role concludes on 18 January, the eve of Georgian Orthodox Epiphany. On this night, families take the dry, shaved branch outside and light it in a ceremonial fire. Watching the wood turn to ash is believed to clear away the troubles, grief, and difficulties experienced during the past twelve months. Burning the decoration allows households to leave the old year behind with a sense of renewal and fresh optimism.

Bans and revival

Following the Soviet takeover of Georgia in 1921, authorities banned the public sale of chichilakis because of their overt connection to Christian ritual. For nearly seven decades, the custom had to survive quietly under state disapproval. When Soviet rule collapsed in 1990, the tradition made a swift return to winter markets and homes across the country. Today, the carved tree has regained widespread affection across Georgia, leading the national government to seek its formal inscription on the UNESCO global list of intangible cultural heritage.

How Chichilaki is kept

Artisans make the tree by peeling dried hazelnut or walnut sticks into curling wooden ribbons. Families purchase them from markets or shops before Georgian Orthodox Christmas on 7 January. Household members drape small fruits such as apples, pomegranates, and berries over the pale strands alongside madder. The ornament sits in the home throughout the festive period. On 18 January, the day before Epiphany, the family takes the chichilaki and burns it in a ritual fire to cast off the past year's hardships.

When and where

The custom takes place during the winter holiday season. Chichilakis are bought and displayed for Georgian Orthodox Christmas on 7 January and are burned on 18 January, the day before Epiphany.

The tradition is practiced throughout Georgia. It is most deeply rooted in the western regions of Guria and Samegrelo along the Black Sea coast, but the trees are also widely available and displayed in the capital city of Tbilisi.

What Chichilaki means

The shaved wood recalls the beard of Saint Basil the Great, who brings winter blessings. It also embodies the tree of life, carrying hopes for peace and endurance. Hanging fruit and madder symbolizes prayers for an abundant agricultural yield, while burning the branch before Epiphany represents the destruction of past troubles.

On the table

• Apples
• Pomegranates
• Madder
• Berries

Days Chichilaki is marked

Questions people ask about Chichilaki

See also

RtveliA Georgian harvest festival marking the grape picking season with feasts and folk songs.ChristmasA festival of Jesus's birth, kept on 25 December with gifts, lights and shared mealsHalloweenAn annual observance on 31 October marking the eve of All Saints' Day, rooted in Christian tradition and Celtic heritageChristmas treeA decorated evergreen or artificial tree placed indoors to mark the Christmas season.

Good reading and sources

• Georgians rediscover Christmas tree traditionsBBC, Article
• Four seasons of culture in GeorgiaNational Geographic, Article
• Georgians rediscover Christmas tree traditionsBBC, Article
• Four seasons of culture in GeorgiaNational Geographic, Article

• Chichilaki on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.