Georgian folk customs and rituals connected with childbirth
Georgian folk customs and rituals connected with childbirth

Summary/Abstract: From a Christian perspective, childbirth is one of the greatest blessings for men and women, who have been united in love through the Sacrament of Marriage. Among the Georgians, a child’s birth was the most important event in the life of the family. Georgian folk customs and rituals associated with childbirth encompasses the widest range of various rites, rituals, superstitions, and omens timed to certain moments in the life of the mother and the child: pregnancy, labour, the end of the 40-day period of time after the child’s birth, and so forth. Although there are multiple connections between Georgian customs and rituals associated with childbirth and various, mainly pre-Christian, religious beliefs, these customs and rituals nevertheless point to the centuries-old influence of Orthodox Christian cultural mores on this sphere of life. Research in this area enables one to glimpse the spiritual culture of the Georgian people, which is particularly evident in the ideas pertaining to the nation’s worldview, as well as in its religious beliefs, in the peculiarities of family life and interpersonal relations. The article is an attempt to look into this important sphere of life of another nation and its customs. Although they may seem very exotic to us, they will certainly allow us to better understand others and enrich ourselves.

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