From ancient times on November 8, the Gagauz celebrate ‘Kasym’ – St. Dimitri’s Day. It is an important holiday in Gagauz culture, which celebrates the completion of all agricultural work. Simultaneously with this holiday, Gagauz Şarap Yortusu – Gagauz Wine Festival, is organized in Gagauzia – a holiday where everyone is welcome.
Wine in Gagauz culture plays an important role. It is both a tool for communication, a ‘folk cure’ for all diseases, and simply a factor of good mood. Gagauzia is famous for its amazing climate that is ideal for growing grapes. Powerful solar activity and gentle terrain contribute to harvesting of the grape varieties perfect for wine-making and making Gagauzia abundant with wine. It is produced by both large wineries leftover from the Soviet Union, and new ones. Gagauz people commonly make wine from the grapes they grow in their own vineyards. Wine is the drink that unites people.
Gagauz Şarap Yortusu – Gagauz Wine Festival, is an annual festival held in the center of Comrat.
It attracts several thousand people, both guests and participants. Winemakers and representatives of large wineries from all over Gagauzia and Moldova come to Comrat on this day. The guests are invited for wine tasting. Wine in large barrels and also in neatly arranged bottles attract crowds of guests to this event.
A real gastronomic camp is deployed with the sound of Gagauz folk music coming from the stage. Weary from their rhythmic and energetic dances guests get settled at tables in the shade and taste young wine, which was still a grape just two months ago. The festive atmosphere of the celebration speaks volumes – people were looking forward to it. It is not just a beautiful tradition but part of their culture.
The most beautiful sites of the festival are the rural farmstead displays that line up in a row just above the square. People from each village of Gagauzia who cherish their culture, come to this event. Dressed in national costumes, they demonstrate their customs and traditions – They perform traditional dances, treat guests to fresh bread and pour wine. Avdarma, Kongaz, Gaidary, Etulia – and many other villages of Gagauzia are represented on a small square the size of a football field, like a metaphor – Gagauzia is small but it is so friendly and cozy.
Recently, tourism has become a very actively growing industry in Gagauzia. Gagauz Şarap Yortusu, is now not only a large celebration held in the central square of Comrat. In addition, many Gagauz wineries organize tours during this period. These excursions are attended both by foreign tourists and also people from all over Moldova. This is a great way to get acquainted not only with the wines of Gagauzia but also to see wine production firsthand. Processing facilities, areas with barrels for fermentation, as well as cellars where the wine is aged, all this can be seen with the tours during the Gagauz Şarap Yortusu wine festival. In-depth familiarization with the process of wine creation makes it clear how difficult and complicated this process is. Thus, not only is the interest in this drink itself formed but also respect for wine culture. This matters so much since wine is the hallmark of Gagauzia.
