David Grigoryan

Lelo Burti

Lelo Burti is a Georgian folk ball game very similar to rugby. It is played once a year on Easter, in the small village of Shukhuti, Guria region in western Georgia. The game has no set time frame or number of participants. The river flowing through Shukhuti divides the village into two parts: upper and lower. The teams are made up of residents of the upper and lower villages. The ball for the game is sewn in the morning, filled up with earth and wine, its final weight is 16 kg. The goal of the game is to move the ball over the channel to the other side of the bank. The winner carries the ball to the cemetery and usually puts it on the grave of his relative. In 2014, this game was recognized by the Georgian government as an intangible heritage. Lelo burti was mentioned in the 12th century classic Georgian epic “The Knight in the Tiger's Skin,” whose heroes played this game. Qvemo Shukhuti, Georgia, 2024