Every Easter, people in Shukhuti, a small village in Guria, western Georgia, clash in the centre of the village over a heavy, 16–17 kg ball. This tradition, a kind of game of honor, is called Leloburti. Shukhuti is divided into two parts — Zemo (upper) and Kvemo (lower) Shukhuti — both of which field teams which clash every year.
Streams flow through both Zemo and Kvemo Shukhuti, both 130 meters from the centre of the village. The only rule in the game is that each team must get the ball to their stream. As soon as the ball reaches one of the streams, the game is over.
The ball, which is newly created every year, is taken to the grave of a person who died in the past year in either Zemo or Kvemo Shukhuti, depending on who wins the game.
The day is long. No one really knows when this tradition began, but according to most claims, Leloburtis is at least 300 years old. Every Easter Sunday, people gather in the early morning in the garden of a house in the village centre.
