Georgia Celebrates Mother Language Day

Today Georgia is celebrating Mother Language (Deda Ena) Day, which marks the country’s preservation of Georgian as the official state language.

On 14 April 1978, thousands of Georgians took to the streets, protesting the attempt by the Soviet government to alter the constitutional status of languages in Georgia, primarily aimed at depriving the Georgian language of its state language status. 

More than 100,000 citizens protested at a central Tbilisi park- now known as the Dedaena Park. The participants demanded the legitimacy of the Georgian language as the sole mother tongue. The government was compelled to compromise- a highly unusual concession to an open expression of opposition to the Soviet state policy.

A special monument was later erected to honor the day’s events.

The US Embassy in Georgia wrote on its Facebook page: “42 years ago, today, thousands of Georgians showed the entire world how much their language meant to them. Faced with the possibility of losing status as Georgia’s national language, the people of this country persevered and saved their unique language for generations to come”.

The Georgian language, described as a “living culture of three writing systems”, is included in the UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage list.

By Elene Dzebisashvili