Laz_people_in_Georgia
The Laz people in Georgia (Georgian: ლაზები საქართველოში, Lazebi Sakartveloshi; Laz: ლაზეფე ოქორთურაშე, Lazepe Okorturaşe) refers to an indigenous Kartvelian-speaking ethnic group inhabiting the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia. There are about 2,000 Laz in Georgia,[1] mainly in Sarpi, Kvariati and Gonio villages and Batumi. Laz identity in Georgia has largely merged with a Georgian identity, and the meaning of "Laz" is seen as merely a regional category.[2] Kolkhoba is an annual Laz festival held each year at the end of August or the beginning of September in Sarpi, a village in Georgia.[3] Sopho Khalvashi was a first Georgian musician of Laz heritage who represented her home nation at the Eurovision Song Contest 2007.
