23:57, 22 March 2021

Marneuli residents massively celebrate Novruz despite restrictions

Residents of Marneuli celebrating the holiday of Novruz. Screenshot of the video by rustavi https://www.rustavi2.ge/ka/news/193656

On the night of March 22, about 100 residents of Marneuli came to the square to celebrate the holiday of Novruz, despite the current curfew imposed in Georgia because of the coronavirus. The authorities did not punish violators.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that residents of Georgia have repeatedly come out to rallies with the demand to lift the coronavirus restrictions. According to employees of the tourist industry, the curfew restricts the tourism opportunities in Georgia.

On March 20, activists called on the Georgian authorities to lift the curfew on the night of March 21 in order to celebrate the Novruz Bayram holiday in Tbilisi and in those areas where Azerbaijanis lived compactly. Earlier, the similar exception had been made for the celebration of the Orthodox Christmas, and it "did not cause any epidemiological complications," the activists explain.

On the night of March 22, part of the residents of Marneuli went to the city square, where they lit festive bonfires and brought sprouted wheat (semeni), as well as national sweets.

Azerbaijan, which neighbours Georgia, is celebrating the Novruz holiday from March 20 to 24. Residents of Baku are celebrating the holiday with festive bonfires, despite the restrictions imposed because of the pandemic.

In Marneuli, about 100 people, mostly young people, took part in the Novruz celebration. They were launching fireworks and listening to Azerbaijani and Georgian music. Activists asked the authorities to lift the curfew for one night to celebrate Novruz, but they were refused.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 22, 2021 at 08:08 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.