On December 10, during the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held in New Delhi, India, a decision was made to inscribe “The Culture of Georgian Wheat: Traditions and Rituals” on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The information was released by the Ministry of Agriculture of Georgia.
The member states of the committee unanimously supported Georgia’s nomination.
As part of the session, an official ceremony will take place on December 11, during which the Georgian delegation will be presented with a certificate signed by the Director-General of UNESCO.
The certificate confirms that “The Culture of Georgian Wheat: Traditions and Rituals” is part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

The culture of Georgian wheat encompasses the full cycle preserved by Georgians for centuries: traditional techniques of soil preparation and sowing, unique practices of cultivating semi-wild wheat varieties such as makhi and zanduri, traditional methods of reaping and harvesting, as well as ancient forms of grain storage in granaries, pits, and underground silos. All of this goes beyond mere agricultural activity and represents an important part of Georgian daily life, social relations, and intergenerational traditions. An integral element is also the tradition of bread baking — a wide variety of ancient and ritual breads baked in a tone oven, a furni, on a kerasa or a ketsi, which in Georgian culture are considered symbols of prosperity, unity, and purity.
The continuous traditions — from sowing to bread baking — form an archaic and living heritage whose protection and transmission UNESCO places special importance on.
By the decision of UNESCO, “The Culture of Georgian Wheat: Traditions and Rituals” has become the fifth Georgian element inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, following “Georgian Polyphony,” the “Traditional Qvevri Wine-Making Method,” the “Living Culture of the Three Types of the Georgian Alphabet,” and “Georgian Wrestling.”