Public holidays of Abkhazia
New Year
New Year в Абхазии встречается по Григорианскому календарю - 1 января. Its celebration does not differ in any specifics, everything is very traditional: a decorated Christmas tree, a festive table, a congratulatory speech by the President of Abkhazia, fireworks and, of course, festivities all night. To celebrate the New Year in Abkhazia, it is customary for the whole family to gather at a large table filled with dishes of national cuisine, sweets, wine, but the traditional Olivier salad is never forgotten here either. After midnight, residents go out to congratulate their neighbors, relatives, friends with the words "Chaanybziala ashykus chyts!" and exchange gifts and treats. Гуляющих на улице обычно не много, New Year в Абхазии - очень домашний праздник.

In recent years, following the example of Russia, large New Year holidays have been organized in Abkhazia, lasting about a week.

Nativity
Christianity appeared in Abkhazia in the 1st century. n. e., it was brought to these lands by the Apostles Andrew the First-Called and Simon the Zealot. Today it is the official religion, to which the majority of the country's inhabitants belong, so the feast of the Nativity of Christ is a very revered date. As in the rest of the Orthodox world, Christmas is celebrated in Abkhazia on January 7 and is a day off. The celebration usually takes place without magnificent celebrations and festivities. Closer to midnight, believers gather in cathedrals and temples where services are held.

Старый New Year
From January 13 to 14, Abkhazia celebrates one of the most revered and respected holidays Azhyrnykhua (or Khachkhuama) - the day of creation and renewal of the world. The pagan holiday, its date coincides with the celebration of the New Year in the old style. Despite the wide spread of Orthodoxy, many Abkhazian families continue to believe and revere the deity of the forge. On this day, all members of the family gather in the ancestral home in order to hold prayers and sacrifices. Men slaughter a sacrificial bull, goat or roosters and in the evening go with gifts to the sacred forge, where the head of the clan turns to God with a request for the blessing of the whole family. After the ceremony, everyone gathers at the festive table, and in the morning they go to congratulate the neighbors.

Старый New Year является выходным днем.

Epiphany
On January 19, Orthodox Christians of Abkhazia celebrate one of the 12 main holidays - Epiphany. On the night of the 18th to the 19th, many believers come to the village of Kamany to the source of St. Basilisk in order to plunge into its waters and receive the forgiveness of their sins and the blessing of the Almighty. In the morning, after the Divine Liturgy, queues line up at the temples for consecrated water, which the faithful sprinkle at home and store until next year. It is considered especially blessed among the people to be baptized on the day of the holiday.

A large number of both local residents and pilgrims from Russia come to New Athos to participate in the procession to the Psyrtsha River.

International Women's Day
The first spring holiday in Abkhazia is March 8th. This day is a holiday, but it is not particularly popular. The celebration is limited to congratulations to women and a shortage of flowers in the country's markets.

Easter
Bright Sunday of Christ in Abkhazia is celebrated on the same day with the entire Orthodox world. Moreover, since ancient times, on the same day, the Abkhazians celebrated the Amshapa holiday, the rites of which included many Easter rituals. It was celebrated by both baptized Christians and unbaptized.

By the day of the celebration of Easter, they prepare carefully, with whole families - a thorough cleaning of houses and yards is carried out, festive dishes and sweets are prepared and, of course, eggs are painted and cakes are baked. According to tradition, on the day of Easter, clay jugs of wine specially prepared for this date are uncorked, some of which is sent to churches for the Divine Liturgy.

In Abkhazia, there is a belief that real spring warmth comes only after Easter, so not only Orthodox Christians are looking forward to it. Во второй воскресный день после праздника в Абхазии отмечается "Женская Easter" в память святых жен-мироносиц.

labor holiday
С 2012 года в Абхазии возобновили празднование 1 мая, обозначив эту дату выходным днем и переименовав в "labor holiday". Unlike Russia, there are no magnificent celebrations and folk festivals on this day. Sports events are sometimes held. Rejoicing in the spring warmth, people with families and friends go out into nature, relax and have picnics.

Victory Day
Victory Day в Абхазии является очень уважаемым и любимым праздником. The country honors and remembers its heroes, because not so long ago it experienced another war and the events of those days are fresh in the memory of the people. about tragedy and exploits here are known firsthand, not just from the stories of grandfathers and great-grandfathers, no one has to explain at what cost freedom and peace sometimes get. Therefore, on this day, the fallen in both wars are remembered.

Every year on May 9, flower laying, parades, field kitchens and concerts are held. In recent years, the celebration in Sukhum is not complete without the march of the Immortal Regiment: people march through the streets of the city with portraits of their loved ones who fought in the Great Patriotic War. About 60 thousand inhabitants of Abkhazia fought on the fronts of the Second World War. Seventeen and a half thousand of them died.

Day of the Holy Apostle Simon the Zealot
May 23 marks one of the main holidays of the Abkhazian church - the day of St. Simon the Zealot. Being one of the 12 apostles of Christ, he preached and was buried in Abkhazia. A temple was erected at the place of his burial in New Athos in the 9th-10th centuries. This is the patronal feast of the New Athos Monastery and a public holiday.

International Children's Day
Summer in Abkhazia begins with the celebration of Children's Day. On June 1, festive events are organized for the little inhabitants of the country throughout Abkhazia: concerts, exhibitions, competitions, costumed performances. The largest events are usually held in the capital on the Makhajirs embankment. The day is working.

Day of recognition of the independence of Abkhazia
On August 26, 2008, by decree of the President of Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia were recognized as independent states. Abkhazia went to this event for a very long time, having survived the war, devastation, economic and political blockade. Therefore, this day is a real holiday, celebrated as a day off and folk festivals. On this date every year, as in 2008, the streets and squares of the country are filled with people, dances, songs and music. On August 26, large concerts are held, often with the participation of Russian pop stars.

Nanhua (Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
On August 28, services are held in all Orthodox churches of Abkhazia in honor of one of the main holidays - the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since ancient times, the Abkhaz have revered the image of the Mother of God, believing that Abkhazia is one of its four destinies. In the cathedral churches of the Abkhazian kingdom, the image of Anpsha, as she is called here, was depicted in the central part above the altar. To date, many temples in honor of the Virgin Mary have been built in the country.

In a day Nanhua, as they call it in Abkhazia, funeral meals are served in the houses. Since the Orthodox faith of the Abkhazians also absorbed some of the pagan rituals and traditions, the name of the holiday is associated with one of the sanctuaries of Dydrypshch-nykh. This is a huge stone, on which the Image of the Virgin is carved by a human hand.

Eid al-Adha
The festive non-working day Kurbannyhua (the Abkhazian name for the holiday Eid al-Adha) is one of the two major Muslim holidays. The date of its celebration is not fixed, but is calculated according to the Muslim lunar calendar.

The celebration begins in the early morning, when, after taking a full bath and putting on clean clothes, the Muslims of Abkhazia pray in mosques, read the Koran and listen to the sermon of the imam. Every year on this day, a ritual of sacrifice is performed following the example of Ibrahim (Abraham), who is ready to bring his only-begotten son as a gift to the Almighty. The Lord, seeing the faith of Abraham, allowed to save the life of his son and slaughter a ram that was grazing nearby. Sacrificial meat is distributed to kindergartens, boarding schools and needy families.

You can join the celebration of Eid al-Adha in the mosques of Sukhum and Gudauta.

Independence Day of Abkhazia
30 сентября отмечается главный праздник народа Абхазии - Victory Day (Аиааираамш) в грузино-абхазской войне. On this day, after more than a year of bloody war, the Abkhazian flag was raised on the Ingur River, marking the final liberation of the country's territory from Georgian troops. There is practically no family in Abkhazia that did not suffer losses from the war.

This day begins every year with the laying of flowers at the Memorial of Glory to the fallen soldiers and at the grave of the first president, commander-in-chief of the Abkhazian armed forces during the war, Vladislav Ardzinba. On this day, there is a parade, fireworks, festivities on the embankment of the city of Sukhum.

Constitution day
Constitution day Абхазии отмечается 26 ноября и является праздничным выходным днем. It was on this day in 1994 that the Supreme Council of the Republic adopted the "Constitution of a sovereign, democratic legal state -