Sufi Zikr
In January 2022 I visited the village of Duiss in Georgia’s northeast Pankisi Gorge. I was lucky to find myself with extraordinary hosts, the Baghakashvili family, who have been preserving a tradition of Sufi prayer for many years, and which we were fortunate enough to witness.
Tsachkhuru Gifts
On Thursday following Easter Day childless couples and caring family members from all parts of Georgia go to Tsachkhuru Village in western Georgia’s Samegrelo region. A small church located there is believed to be a special place where God can make the dreams of childless couples come true.
Didi Mitarbi
Didi Mitarbi is a village populated by ethnic Ossetians. It is located 1,480m above sea level, 3km away from Bakuriani, internationally important ski resort of Georgia.
Years ago, Didi Mitarbi, too, was famous of its ski tracks and ropeways, connecting Mitarbi with Bakuriani’s major ski hill, Kokhtagora. Sadly, this cableway has not been functioning and has been forgotten for the past 30 years.
Lichanishoba festival
In early August, Adishi (Svaneti) has a festival to celebrate the births of male children who were born the previous year.
High pole are one of the most important attributes of the Lichanishoba celebration. The idea is that parents who gave birth to a son the previous year create flags with these poles and karchiefs, which are decorated with their sons’ name. This 16 raised poles means 16 sons were born in the Adishi community in 2016.