Although I had the worst of reasons for returning to Svaneti recently exactly when I did, the intent had been there for some time. A funeral called me up, but a day after it was the joyful celebration (in Etseri, anyway) of Lamproba, the uniquely Svan religious holiday which features burning birch torches.
Many villages in Svaneti celebrate this event in different ways and even on different Sundays. Because of this, with careful timing, travel and accommodation plans, it is possible for the (male!) tourist to join in at a number of locations over several weeks.
I say male, because the best part of Lamproba is only for men and boys. Before sunrise, in our case at 7am, in each house the males light birch logs which have been prepared in advance by cutting them to about four feet long and while still green splitting one end with an axe so that it spreads out like a broom. Then they are allowed to dry, for a month or more if possible. A dip in diesel, or application of a small gas flame, can aid the initial burn in catching; there seems to be no prohibition of this.
Then we carry the burning brands through the darkness to agreed church locations, usually one per hamlet of a village, and stack them into a cone-shaped bonfire. We greet each other heartily and shoot the breeze for a while, often calling up absent friends or relatives on video to share the experience with them.
The next part is prayer for all the hamlet’s families. Now, women are allowed to join in. They each bring a basket of specially baked small round flat bread loaves, and either moonshine or wine to toast with. In groups of three, the men pick up a stack of loaves, all face east to the rising sun, and they pray aloud together (in Svan, Georgian, or even another language is fine) for each family’s blessing, health, peace, prosperity, and so on, for the coming year. This prayer is simply to “the Big God”. At the end of it, the men make one turn in place, set the bread down, and follow it with a toast to the same family.
(I do have a phrase which I intend to use when pressed to drink more than I want to, although said pressing is much rarer now that most people know my preferred limit. I’ll simply say, “It’s not the wine doing the talking; it’s me…”)
By now the sun is up, darkness fading. Festivities can continue for some time, although time can often bring drunkenness, and I depart early for home, not wanting to take it further. Later on, either that afternoon or the first Tuesday after it, we all gather again (men and women, girls and boys) in hamlets at an agreed-on host house, which rotates yearly. There is the same kind of prayer again, and then a feast of typical lavish Georgian style, though of course including k’ubdari, the traditional Svan meat pie.
Lamproba can be called Limpari in other villages. It can feature a small round tower of packed snow which the boys should try to ascend and then not be knocked down from by pelted snowballs. This was the Ushguli version in which I took part when I lived there for the winters of 2007-2009. In Mestia, the main event will be lighting fires at one’s ancestors’ graves and remembering them there. So the variations are considerable, although the prayer-for-families element seems to be universal. I have not seen Lamproba in any other Svan villages, so I cannot comment on what they would do differently. Once, though, my Etseri blood brother and I once joined other Tbilisi Svans on the bank of the Tbilisi Sea to do it there.
In any case, Lamproba is an honor and an exciting event to be invited to. Warm clothing for winter (which might perhaps be hit by the odd spark from the fire) is a good idea, as you might be outside for some hours at subzero temperatures. Knowledge of Georgian is a help, though not a necessity, if you have someone to interpret. It’s a time of celebrating community and being together. Join in, if you can: in Georgia one brings honor to one’s hosts as a guest.
Blog by Tony Hanmer
Tony Hanmer has lived in Georgia since 1999, in Svaneti since 2007, and been a weekly writer and photographer for GT since early 2011. He runs the “Svaneti Renaissance” Facebook group, now with over 2000 members, at www.facebook.com/groups/SvanetiRenaissance/
He and his wife also run their own guest house in Etseri: www.facebook.com/hanmer.house.svaneti
