Chichilaki

Chichilakis are most common in the Guria and Samegrelo regions near the Black Sea, but they can also be found in some stores around the capital of Tbilisi.

Chichilaki is currently proposed by the President of Georgia to be inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

The chichilakis are then ceremoniously burned on the day before the Georgian Orthodox Epiphany on 19 January to symbolize the passing of the previous year's troubles.

The use of the chichilaki as a Christmas decoration is generally believed by the Georgians to be more environment-friendly[7] than the cutting of pine trees.

The Georgian government has taken steps to support the preservation of the environment by placing a costly fine on anyone found harvesting and transporting pine trees outside of the registered farms.