Historical Influence

Georgians had to defend themselves against the world’s most powerful empires – Roman, Byzantine, Arabic, Persian, Mongol, Seljuk, and Russian. Throughout these wars, Georgians were becoming tougher and tougher. In most of these battles, Georgians were immensely outnumbered and had to fight with armies several times bigger than theirs. Their heritage is very respected by the Georgian people and they are very proud of it, especially men. This history also affected famous Georgian traditional dances, which represent such a huge part and are so important to the culture. You can see this influence everywhere – architecture, traditions, customs, etc.

The ancestors, due to the natural richness of Georgia became welcoming to foreigners. They loved greeting guests with wine and bread and showing off nature's beauty. When guests were coming as allies, they were meeting them with open hands and treating them with respect, but when the guests were coming as enemies, they were always ready to defend their homeland. That’s why the famous statue of the Mother of Georgia in Tbilisi has a bowl of wine in one hand and a sword in another.