Lelo burti was first cited (as is known) in Shota Rustaveli’s epic poem ‘The Knight in the Panther’s Skin’ in the 12th century. For safety reasons, some authorities have ventured the idea of putting a stop to the tradition, but those who know it (and the players) well, doubt that it can be stopped and in 2014, lelo burti, along with khridoli, a traditional martial art, was inscribed by the Government of Georgia as a "nonmaterial monument" of the nation's culture.
It is played on Easter Sunday in Guria region, in two connecting villages near Lanchkhuti- Upper and Lower Shukhuti.
A leather ball is filled with sand and thrown by a priest into a throng of roaring young men (and one or two butch or brave women!) in the middle of the main road between the two villages. It is then passed, thrown and grappled from one man to another in an undefined area for an indeterminate amount of time. The objective? To get the ball over one or other of the ditches which mark the opposing village boundary. Last year, the game started at 2pm and ended within 45 minutes. This weekend it started at 5pm (due to strong sunshine earlier in the day) and went on for three hours. But it can go on for much longer. Players expect to get muddy, bruised and shouted at. This year saw twisted arms and one garden in ruins. Adrenaline and aggression is high, as is the risk of getting trampled on or stuck under a pile of others scrabbling for the ball. But, like rugby, the overall sense beyond the competition is friendship.
Once the ball has crossed one or another ‘goal,’ the ball is taken up to the local cemetery, where it is placed on the grave of the last person to have died from the winning village, so “dedicating” the victory to the deceased. A new ball is hand-sown and filled with sand each year.
Once the ceremony is complete, the communal feasting begins. At least the alcohol staves off some of the pain for a few days…
Image source: http://culinartmagazine.com