LELO BURTI

Lelo Burti means “field ball”. It’s only played once a year on second Easter day in the town of Lanchkhuti, Georgia.

The rules of this centuries old sport are simple: there are basically none. A heavy leather ball. 2 teams. Team numbers have no limit so it’s possible that 200 men are fighting for one ball. The goal is to get it to the edge of the opponents’ village. By all means. There’s no time limit. It can be done in 30 minutes or it can take hours. The toll can be heavy: broken bones and dislocated shoulders are normal and even deaths have occurred. After the ordeal everyone joins in for celebrations with wine and moonshine.