The Gurian people are an ethnographic group of Georgians originating from Guria, a region in western Georgia on the Black Sea coast.
One of the main calling cards of Guria is polyphony.
It was here that the famous Gurian tradition of multi-voice singing developed — complex, virtuosic, and mostly – improvisational.
In 2001, this unique musical genre was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Gurians are well known also for their hospitality, sharp wit, and special love of jokes and humour.
Their distinctive dialect, pointed proverbs, and endless anecdotes make communicating with them truly colorfull and vivid.
n Georgia, this character trait has long become a popular saying: “If you want to laugh, call a Gurian.”