One family in Racha

The Lebanidzes family of Kvashkhieti visits Racha in the summertime. A large family of many ages, they annually gather in this mountainous region of Georgia. Racha is sparsely populated, with residents frittering away their days in the sun.

Racha is Georgia’s mountainous region, which equalizes to Alpine Zone and is very popular. There is even the movie taken about Racha, named “Racha, my love”. Racha is also famous with its mineral waters and beautiful nature. Meanwhile its very dangerous to live there – in 1986 a huge earthquake made almost all of the Racha vanish. Some families quit existing and some of them immigrated to other regions, because earthquakes became frequent and almost every year there is an earthquake. Some villages of Racha turned out to be empty and if there lived about 50 families, now you can meet only 10 of them. On the whole, people who belong to this place, go there in summer, because there is very fresh air and you even need a quilt while sleeping.

In summer, 2007 I had an opportunity to spend my summer in one of families from this region. Abovementioned family was from little village, called Kvashkhieti. I spent there 1 month and I was able to prepare a reportage about Kvashkhieti and the way this family spends its free time, how they live and how they fritter days of hot summer in fresh Racha. The family I was in, consisted many members and what is more important, there ware people of every age.