When is St Nino’s Day?
In 2026, St Nino’s Day falls on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. It is an observance rather than a federal holiday, so federal offices and most businesses follow their normal schedules.
History of St Nino’s Day
St Nino is traditionally remembered as the missionary whose preaching helped bring Christianity to the kingdom of Iberia in the fourth century. Her story—especially the cross made from vine branches—is central to Georgian Christian memory and to the country’s understanding of its conversion.
January 27 is listed among the major church holidays in the constitutional agreement between the state and the Georgian Orthodox Church, but it is not one of the statutory days off in Article 30 of the Labour Code. It belongs on a calendar as a religious observance rather than a general work closure.
St Nino’s Day on January 27 is the winter commemoration of Equal-to-the-Apostles Saint Nino; Georgian church tradition also honours her on June 1. Her vine cross, traditionally bound with her own hair, remains one of the most recognisable symbols of Georgian Christianity, and Bodbe Monastery is closely associated with her burial and cult. Article 30 does not list either Saint Nino date as a statutory holiday, so normal employment schedules continue unless an employer, school or institution makes its own arrangement.
How St Nino’s Day is observed
A major Georgian Orthodox observance on January 27, not a nationwide statutory day off. Church services and local programmes may be held. January 27 is a major church observance but not an Article 30 statutory day off or an automatically transferable holiday.
Traditions of St Nino’s Day
Vine-cross veneration
Churches display images of Saint Nino with her vine cross, the distinctive symbol associated with Georgia’s fourth-century conversion. Georgian devotion often centres on Saint Nino’s vine cross and pilgrimage to Bodbe, traditions directly connected to the national conversion narrative.
Bodbe pilgrimage
Pilgrims visit Bodbe Monastery in Kakheti, traditionally associated with Saint Nino’s burial and one of her principal Georgian shrines. Georgian devotion often centres on Saint Nino’s vine cross and pilgrimage to Bodbe, traditions directly connected to the national conversion narrative.
Conversion narratives
Sermons, lessons and family conversations retell Saint Nino’s mission and the adoption of Christianity by the kingdom of Iberia. Georgian devotion often centres on Saint Nino’s vine cross and pilgrimage to Bodbe, traditions directly connected to the national conversion narrative.
Dates and observance rules are checked against the official Georgian legal and official guidance. Religious-calendar dates and local-service schedules should be confirmed against the annual official calendar.
History sources: Legislative Herald: Constitutional Agreement with the Georgian Orthodox Church, Legislative Herald of Georgia: Labour Code, Article 30, National Parliamentary Library of Georgia: Public Holidays.
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