The chokha has been in wide use among Georgians from the 9th century until the 1920s. It is still used in Georgia as a symbol of national pride, and is frequently worn by Georgian men at weddings and official functions. Worn by Georgians for more than a thousand years, the high-necked wool coat was rarely seen during Soviet rule, but now, for many, it symbolizes pride in the country's past and resistance to its occupation. Former Georgian PresidentMikheil Saakashvili ordered high-ranking Georgian officials working abroad to present themselves in national costumes, including the chokha, at official meetings.
Types
There are four types of chokha: the Kartl-Kakheti chokha, the Khevsur chokha, the Adjarian chokha, and the general Caucasian chokha. The Caucasian chokha originated in the Caucasus in the mountainous areas of Georgia. The word chokha entered the Georgian language from Persian. Originally, in Georgia, the garment was referred to as talavari, but later on, after the Persian invasions, Persians started to call Georgian national dresschokha. Russians and Ukrainians called it a cherkeska, the Terek and Kuban Cossacks adopted it as part of their costume. In Circassic languages, the chokha is known as shwakh-tsia which means 'covers the horseman', or simply tsia which means 'from fabric' and fasha which means 'fits you'. In Georgia, the black chokha was reserved for the Order of Chokhosani, who represented an elite cadre of generals, war heroes and famous poets. The chokha is sewn of thick fabric and flares out at the bottom. In some parts of the Caucasus there are also female chokhas. In the late 19th century and early 20th century there were three types of chokhas: the Khevsur chokha, the Kartl-Kakheti chokha and general Caucasian chokha.
Khevsurian chokha
The Khevsur chokha was worn in the Khevsuretiprovince of Georgia in the Greater Caucasus mountains. The Khevsur chokha is considered to be the closest to the medieval version of the chokha. It is mostly short, with trapezoid shapes. The front side of the chokha has rich decorations and slits on the sides, which extend to the waist. The Khevsur chokha has rich decorations made up of crosses and icons.
Kartli-Kakheti chokha
The Kartli-Kakheti chokha is longer than the Khevsur chokha and has triangle-like shapes on the chest, exposing the inner cloth called arkhalukhi. It tends to have gazyrs on both sides of the chest-spaces. The skirt usually has slits on the sides. People wear them without belts. The Kartli-Kakheti chokha has long sleeves and is usually black, dark red or blue. This is the most popular chokha up to date, often seen in official meeting and musical performance.
General Caucasian chokha
The general Caucasian chokha shares similarities with the Kartl-Kakheti version. In most cases, different decorations fill the bullet spaces. This type of chokha has black leather belts decorated with silver pieces. It is usually a longer version of the Kartl-kakheti Chokha. The general Caucasian chokha is usually made of black, grey, white, blue, red or brown fabric. Among Azeris, it is considered part of the traditional outfit for the performers of mugham, an Azeri folk music genre. Traditionally a person's age determines the colour of their chokha. Generally, the chokha outfit includes a khanjali dagger, an akhalukhi shirt worn under the chokha, masrebi, and a kabalakhi or nabdis kudi.
