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Kvirikoba-Fest, Kala (Swanetien)

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Manuel Trummer

Free Account, Poing

Kvirikoba-Fest, Kala (Swanetien)

The feast takes place each year on July 28th at the spectacularly situated Lagurka church of Saints Kvirike and Julia. The small sanctuary, raised in the 10th century, towers in a height of approximately 2100 m roughly 300 m above the tiny mountain village Kala in the valley below.

The feast of Kvirikoba is the most sacred holiday of the Swan people and revolves around a row of sacrifices (money, food, alcohol, livestock, goats, e.g.) brought up a steep mountain trail through a sacred forest all the way to the church of Kvirike and Julia.

Accompanying the prayers and sacrifices of the probably around 500 visitors are strong-man competitions, like lifting stones and an iron bell, singing, lots of food and lots of drinking. The feasting goes from morning to midnight. It is one of the dates in the year when the whole family comes together to celebrate.