Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has met with Nikoloz Antidze, the Director General of the National Agency for Cultural Heritage Preservation of Georgia, to discuss her initiative on adding Chichilaki (a Georgian alternative of Christmas trees) and the tradition of celebrating the Kalanda (New Year) Festival to the list of intangible cultural heritage. Antidze hosted the President at Atoneli palace.
President Zurabishvili wrote about this meeting on Facebook.
"At the meeting with Cultural Heritage Agency Director Nikiloz Antidze, we discussed my initiative on Chichilaki and Kalanda," Salome Zurabishvili wrote.
Nikoloz Antidze defined the initiative as paramount for accentuating the country's national identity.
"It is a brilliant initiative placing value on our national identity once again. We also familiarized President Zurabishvili with the plans to be carried out on both the national and international levels. She expressed a desire to be involved in these processes," Antidze declared.
In the village of Dzvaburi, Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has put forward the initiative of adding Chichilaki (a Georgian alternative of Christmas trees) and the tradition of celebrating the Kalanda (New Year) Festival to the list of intangible cultural heritage.
"I am now holding our Chichilaki in my hands. It is also standing in the presidential palace. This is a remarkable tradition popular throughout Georgia. I am putting forward the initiative of adding Chichilaki and Kalanda to the list of intangible cultural heritage. I will ask the Agency for Cultural Heritage, and I will also contribute to this, to have our voice heard by UNESCO to add them to the world heritage list. What is more, Chichilaki is Eco-friendly," Zurabishvili said.
