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:''This article is about a people in the Caucasus. For other meanings, see Svans (disambiguation).''
The 'Svans' () are an ethnographic group of Georgians that mostly live in Svanetia region of Georgia. They speak the Svan language.
The Svans are usually identified with the ''Soanes'' mentioned by Greek geographer Strabo, who placed them more or less in the area still occupied by the modern-day Svans.
Until the 1930s, Mingrelians and Svans had their own census grouping, but were classified under the broader category of Georgian thereafter. They are Georgian Orthodox Christians, and were Christianized in the 4th-6th centuries. However, some remnants of old paganism have been maintained. Saint George (known as ''Jgëræg'' to the locals), a patron saint of Georgia, is the most respected saint. The Svans have retained many of their old traditions, including blood revenge. Their families are small, and the husband is the head of his family. The Svan really respect the older women in families.
Typically bilingual, they use both Georgian and their own, unwritten Svan language, which together with the Georgian, Mingrelian, and Laz languages constitute the South Caucasian or Kartvelian language family. The Svan language is being largely replaced by the Georgian proper.
Svan culture survives most wonderfully in its songs and dances. Svanetia boasts the most complex form of Georgian polyphonic singing, traditional to Georgian vocal music.
★ Svanetia
★ Georgians
★ Web-site about Svaneti
The 'Svans' () are an ethnographic group of Georgians that mostly live in Svanetia region of Georgia. They speak the Svan language.
| Contents |
| History |
| Language |
| Culture |
| See also |
| External links |
History
The Svans are usually identified with the ''Soanes'' mentioned by Greek geographer Strabo, who placed them more or less in the area still occupied by the modern-day Svans.
Until the 1930s, Mingrelians and Svans had their own census grouping, but were classified under the broader category of Georgian thereafter. They are Georgian Orthodox Christians, and were Christianized in the 4th-6th centuries. However, some remnants of old paganism have been maintained. Saint George (known as ''Jgëræg'' to the locals), a patron saint of Georgia, is the most respected saint. The Svans have retained many of their old traditions, including blood revenge. Their families are small, and the husband is the head of his family. The Svan really respect the older women in families.
Language
Typically bilingual, they use both Georgian and their own, unwritten Svan language, which together with the Georgian, Mingrelian, and Laz languages constitute the South Caucasian or Kartvelian language family. The Svan language is being largely replaced by the Georgian proper.
Culture
Svan culture survives most wonderfully in its songs and dances. Svanetia boasts the most complex form of Georgian polyphonic singing, traditional to Georgian vocal music.
See also
★ Svanetia
★ Georgians
External links
★ Web-site about Svaneti
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