Merry Christmas!
Georgian leaders offer holiday wishes to those who celebrate today

Today a major part of Christians all over the world are celebrating one of the most important religious events – Christmas, the birth of Jesus Christ.

Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and President Giorgi Margvelashvili offered their Christmas wishes to all people who celebrated this feast today.

"I would like to wish a Merry Christmas to our citizens who celebrate the Nativity on December 25. Christmas brings us faith and hope. Please accept my sincere wishes for happiness, peace, and prosperity,” Kvirikashvili said in a statement releases late last night.

President Margvelashvili stressed that Georgia was a country of diverse cultures.

"Georgia is a country of ethnic, cultural and religious diversity. Our tradition of respect towards different is, first of all, to recognise the role of people of different religions in front of our shared homeland,” the President said.

"I’m joining your celebration and sharing your happiness today,” he added.

• Georgian Christmas tale

The Christian community who celebrates Christmas on December 25 is not too large in Georgia.

Latest data revealed there were about 50,000 Catholics in Georgia, or about two percent of the total population. Most lived in the southern part of the country, where Catholicism spread in Georgia in the 13th Century.

Georgian Orthodox Christians, who make up the majority of population, celebrate Christmas on January 7.