Snow, snow snow...

In Mestia it is still snowing. Everything around became white, mountains are covered by fog...

Today in Svaneti began week of ghosts - Lipaani. Locals believe that on sunset ghosts of dead people will return to their homes, so they make food, cleaning homes and before sunset will make table, burn candles, to welcome dead ancestors. During this week is also made wood branches from birch, which will be kept behind oven almost one month - till day Lamparoba. On Lamparoba, which will be on 14 February and people will take birch branches to cemetery, where are buried their ancestors and burn branches there.

Christianity was adopted here in IV-V centuries, but ancient pagan traditions are saved here also. From one side it is attractive for tourists, but on the other side there is danger that all those traditions will became just another attraction for tourists and nothing else. My wish is to keep this ancient, amazing place as it is, free, traditional, archaic, but to develop tourism in such way that locals could find most profit from it and stay hosts on their land. Just to make Svaneti better for Svans and not to turn it into copy of something but keep and develop the best what already is in Svaneti.