Konstantineoba Date in the current year: May 15, 2024

Konstantine Gamsakhurdia was born on May 15 (May 3 Old Style), 1893 in province of Mingrelia. He is considered as one of the most important and influential Georgian novelist of the 20th century. Although he was hostile to the Soviet rule, he was one of the fewest leading Georgian writers, who survived the repressions of the Stalin era. His son Zviad was a notable Soviet-era dissident and became the first President of Georgia in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Public festival of Konstantineoba is celebrated since 1989. The celebration is held in the museum of Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, situated in the house, where the writer was born, in Abasha. Since it's the place of his birth, there is no secret, why the public celebration is held exactly there. Another important event of the day includes a horse race for a distance of 25 kilometers.