Every year, on the Thursday following Easter, in the Martvili district of the Megrelia region, the mountain-based Church of the Archangel of Tsachkurus welcomes hundreds of couples (and their families) marching up the hillside carrying unusual offerings for the sake of their futures. Women who are struggling with fertility come from around Georgia to pray here. The condition for said blessing? Walk up to the church on foot and bring a baby in a cradle.

It is supposed the tradition has pagan roots, and the Church has warily taken the ceremony under its charge. The “babies,” in both plain and elaborately decorated traditional wooden cradles, are these days plastic- often cheap varieties with painted eyes, or even Barbie dolls. One can imagine that in the past the pained women would sew their own dolls, or have one carved from wood…

The cradles are brought to the church and piled up. While parishioners pray for fertility and candles are lit, a priest blesses the numerous cradles and “babies.” Once the ceremony is complete, the women go wild as they make a grab for a blessed cradle- any cradle- to take home with them. They believe that if they complete this ceremony three times, they will be able to fall pregnant.

No study has been done that I know of to prove the validity of this fertility ritual. One cosmopolitan and not everso religious couple were childless for years, then heard about the Tsachkhuroba and gave it a try. The following year they had twins.

Whether or not there is something in it, the ceremony itself stands as one of the many curious and perhaps questionable “religious” festivals held in the Georgian regions for you to discover. Stay tuned to Where.ge to find out more!

Image source: radiotavisupleba.ge/Giorgi Gogua. See more of his photos here.

Want more? Discover Georgia's 12 century 'rugby' tradition: Lelo burti!