Shuamtoba on Zortikeli in Georgia: dates, meaning and how to experience it

By Mariam Lomidze, GTour desk · Fact-checked against the sources listed · Last checked 25 October 2026 · Editorial policy

What it is

Shuamtoba (შუამთობა) takes its name from two Georgian words: “shua,” meaning middle, and “mta,” meaning mountain, joined to the suffix “-oba,” which in Georgian forms the names of feast days and collective observances (as in “Svetitskhovloba” or “Lomisoba”). Taken together, the word describes a gathering held at the mid-point of the high mountains, and, by extension, at the mid-point of the season when livestock are kept on the highest summer pastures before the autumn descent begins. It is a mountain holiday in the most literal sense: a feast convened where the land itself reaches its middle height.

The celebration on Zortikeli, a ridge above the town of Khulo in upper Adjara, belongs to the highland communities of Khulo and neighbouring Shuakhevi municipality. These are villages of the Adjarian highlands, historically distinct from coastal Batumi in dialect, dress, diet and, for several centuries, religion. Shuamtoba is not a church feast with a fixed liturgical date but a community reunion rooted in the pastoral calendar, drawing families who spend the warm months tending cattle and sheep on the alpine meadows around Zortikeli, Goderdzi and the Arsiani range. It is attended chiefly by Adjarans of the surrounding villages, along with relatives returning from Batumi, Tbilisi and abroad, and increasingly by visitors brought up from the coast for the day.

Historical background

• Pre-Christian era — Highland communities of upper Adjara practised transhumance, moving herds to high pastures in summer; mountaintop gatherings tied to this seasonal rhythm are, according to ethnographers of the region, older than any written record of them.
• 4th century — Christianity becomes the state religion of the Georgian kingdom of Kartli under King Mirian III; the mountains of Adjara, part of the wider Georgian cultural sphere, absorb church feasts alongside older agrarian and pastoral customs.
• 16th–19th centuries — Ottoman rule over Adjara brings gradual conversion of much of the highland population to Islam, while communal practices such as seasonal mountain gatherings persist in largely secular, village-bound form.
• 1878 — The Treaty of Berlin ends Ottoman administration of Batumi and the Adjarian highlands, returning the region to Georgian lands within the Russian Empire and opening a period of renewed contact with Orthodox Georgian institutions.
• 1921–1991 — Adjara is governed as an autonomous republic within Soviet Georgia; organised religion is restricted, and highland festivals are reframed as secular village or collective-farm days, with wrestling, horse games, dance and shared meals continuing largely unaltered in form.
• 1991 — Georgian independence is restored; parishes, municipalities and families across Adjara begin openly reviving both religious observance and folk festivals suppressed or softened under Soviet rule.
• 2000s–2010s — Khulo municipality and Adjara’s tourism authorities begin publicising Shuamtoba on Zortikeli as a cultural event, encouraging visitors from Batumi and abroad to attend alongside returning highland families.
• 2020s — Shuamtoba continues as an annual mid-August gathering, with the precise date set locally each year; in 2026 the feast was held on 18 August.

What distinguishes Shuamtoba from fixed church feasts elsewhere in Georgia is precisely its mobility: it answers to the mountain and the herding calendar rather than to a saint’s day on the liturgical calendar. This separates it from most of Georgia’s best-known holidays, which trace to specific councils, relics or royal decrees, and places it instead among a family of pastoral mountain reunions found across the country’s highland zones, from Svaneti to Racha, each shaped by local topography and the rhythm of moving animals up and down the slopes.

The particular history of upper Adjara gives the feast an added layer of meaning. Centuries of Ottoman administration brought Islam to many highland villages even as Georgian language, dress and communal customs were retained; after 1878 and especially after 1991, highland Adjara has rebuilt a visible Orthodox presence alongside long-standing Muslim communities. Shuamtoba, built on an older seasonal gathering rather than a specific confessional feast, has functioned as a shared civic occasion that both communities and generations recognise, which is part of why municipal authorities in Khulo have been comfortable promoting it as an open, public event rather than a narrowly religious one.

Meaning and traditions

At its core, Shuamtoba is a day of supra — the long Georgian feast table — set outdoors on the mountain itself, with extended families and whole villages eating together rather than in separate households. Dishes brought up from the valley and prepared on site typically include corn bread (mchadi), highland cheeses, honey, preserved meats, and the flatbreads and stuffed breads typical of mountain Adjara, alongside fruit compote and, where served, chacha, the Georgian grape or fruit spirit. A tamada, the appointed toastmaster, leads rounds of toasts to family, to the mountain, to those who have passed, and to guests present for the day.

The gathering is as much performance as feast. Men compete in chidaoba, traditional Georgian wrestling fought in short jackets with a distinctive belt grip, and in horse races and horsemanship displays across the open pasture. Villagers dance the Acharuli, the fast, shoulder-driven regional dance associated with Adjara, to the accompaniment of the panduri and chonguri, plucked string instruments, and the larger salamuri flute and drum. Singing, often in the region’s own vocal style distinct from the polyphonic traditions of eastern Georgia, carries across the open ground. Children race and play among the grazing herds while elders catch up on a year’s news from villages that, for much of the summer, are separated by hours of mountain track.

Regional variation is built into the feast’s very premise: neighbouring Shuakhevi, Keda and other highland municipalities hold comparable mid-mountain gatherings on their own pastures and their own dates, each known locally by the same or a closely related name, so that “Shuamtoba” functions less as a single fixed event than as a pattern repeated, with local differences, across the summer pastures of upper Adjara.

When it happens

Shuamtoba on Zortikeli follows no fixed church or civil calendar date. It is set each year by local organisers in Khulo, typically on a weekend in mid-August, timed to the point in the pastoral season when herds are still on the highest meadows and travel and weather conditions on the mountain are most favourable. In 2026 the gathering took place on 18 August; the 2027 date is expected around 17 August 2027, to be confirmed closer to the time by the municipality. It is not a public holiday under Georgian law, and offices, schools and businesses across the country, including in Adjara’s towns, operate normally on the day; only the villages directly involved effectively pause for the feast.

Where to experience it

Zortikeli rises above the town of Khulo, itself roughly two and a half to three hours by road from Batumi along a route that passes the Makhuntseti waterfall and old stone arched bridges before climbing into the highlands. Visitors reach the feast ground by following local signage and traffic from Khulo on the morning of the event; arrival by mid-morning allows time to see families setting tables before the formal toasts, wrestling matches and dancing begin in the early afternoon. The atmosphere is informal and communal rather than staged: guests are generally welcomed to join a table if invited, but should wait to be seated rather than approaching unannounced. Modest dress is appropriate given the mixed Christian and Muslim character of the surrounding villages, and visitors photographing people, especially during wrestling or at family tables, should ask first.

Did you know

• Upper Adjara remains one of the few parts of Georgia where a sizeable share of ethnic Georgians are historically Muslim, a legacy of Ottoman administration before 1878.
• The Khulo–Tago cable car, built during the Soviet period to connect a remote highland village with the district centre, is still in daily public use and remains one of the longest passenger ropeways in Georgia.
• The Acharuli dance, performed at Shuamtoba and other Adjarian gatherings, is now part of the standard repertoire of Georgia’s national folk-dance ensembles.
• Chidaoba, the belted wrestling contested on Zortikeli, is documented across Georgia’s highland regions and is considered one of the country’s oldest surviving sports.
• Mid-mountain pasture feasts similar in function to Shuamtoba, though different in name, are held in Svaneti and Racha, reflecting a shared highland calendar across otherwise distinct Georgian regions.

Practical tips for visitors

The road from Batumi to Khulo climbs steadily and includes stretches of unpaved mountain track beyond the town toward Zortikeli, so a sturdy vehicle and an experienced driver are advisable, particularly if rain has fallen recently; GTour arranges a private driver or guide for the day on request. Weather at altitude can turn cool even in mid-August, so layered clothing and a waterproof layer are sensible regardless of forecasts in Batumi. There is no fixed entrance fee, but cash is useful for small purchases from local vendors, and mobile network coverage on the mountain itself is limited. Because the exact date is confirmed only shortly beforehand, travellers wishing to attend should check with Khulo municipality or a local operator in the preceding weeks rather than fixing plans months in advance.

Combine it with

Shuamtoba sits naturally within a wider highland itinerary through Adjara, combined with a crossing of the Goderdzi pass toward Samtskhe-Javakheti, or a return route through the valleys and old churches of Imereti on the way back toward Kutaisi.

Questions travellers ask

What does “Shuamtoba” literally mean?

It combines “shua” (middle), “mta” (mountain) and the feast-forming suffix “-oba,” describing a gathering held at the mid-point of the high mountains, timed to the middle of the summer pasture season.

Is Shuamtoba a public holiday in Georgia?

No. It is a local community feast, not a statutory public holiday, so offices, schools and businesses nationwide, including in Adjara’s towns, operate as usual on the day.

How do I get to Zortikeli from Batumi or Tbilisi?

From Batumi, the drive to Khulo and on toward Zortikeli takes roughly two and a half to three hours by car; from Tbilisi, travellers typically fly or drive to Batumi first and continue by road, or arrange a private transfer for the full journey.

Is Shuamtoba open to tourists?

Yes. While it remains a community event rather than a staged tourist spectacle, visitors are generally welcome to attend, watch the wrestling and dancing, and, if invited, join a family table.

What should I wear or bring?

Layered, modest clothing suited to changeable mountain weather, sturdy footwear for uneven pasture ground, cash for small purchases, and a camera, used with permission when photographing people at close range.

Is there an entrance fee?

No formal entrance fee is charged; it is an open communal gathering rather than a ticketed event.

How is Shuamtoba different from other Georgian highland festivals?

Unlike fixed church feasts tied to a saint’s day, Shuamtoba follows the pastoral calendar rather than the liturgical one, and its date, while usually in mid-August, is set locally each year rather than fixed centuries in advance.

When will the exact 2027 date be announced?

Khulo municipality typically confirms the date a few weeks beforehand, based on weather and the state of the summer pastures; travellers planning a visit should check closer to August 2027 rather than relying on the provisional 17 August estimate.

Sources

• Adjara Tourism Portal
• Visit Batumi