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Blessing the Village – Alive Easter With Amer-Imeri 2.9
‘When you listen to these children’s voices I think it’s the reason for happiness.’ – Magda Kevlishvili
Join Holly and Susan on an audio adventure to the Georgian village of Khovle with singers from Amer-Imeri and Mtiebi folk ethnographic ensembles.
Walking from house to house, you’ll hear them singing Easter chants and folk songs, and calling out blessings.
- What is ‘Alive Easter’?
- How Georgians celebrate the Sunday after Orthodox Easter.
- How do you bless a village when no-one’s home?
- Hear the children sing at the gates of each house, whether they open or not.
- Have all the rituals been forgotten?
- Those that remember, welcome us in with apples, wine, cheese and honey.
Round the makeshift supra tables, we toast the families of the village, singing and dancing to welcome Easter and new birth.
Visit the ancestral home of Tiko Shervashidze, where her grandmother played tsiko-tsiko, and a weather ritual song from the village was collected and recorded.
A singer meets his newly-discovered family member, and we visit his homestead and meet his baby.
Listen out for a special toast: ‘May angels walk in your footsteps.’
Recent Podcast Episodes
Women’s Folklore Festivals with Maka Khardziani Nanina Group 2.8
Ethnomusicologist Dr Maka Khardziani, Director of Nanina, joins hosts Holly Taylor-Zuntz and Susan Thompson to share the story of Georgia’s Women’s Folklore Festivals — where song, scholarship, and craftsmanship meet.
Maka explains how the festivals revive forgotten women’s traditions: lullabies to the goddess Nana, Batonebi healing songs, and newly rediscovered labour songs. She sings a Svan lullaby from her home region and reflects on why women’s voices are central to Georgia’s musical heritage.
Videographer-singer Ia Andghuladze joins to share the younger generation’s view of continuing these ancestral sounds.
🎶 Featuring songs by Nanina, Lalkhori, and Ialoni
Centuries of Song with Dr Teona Lomsadze 2.7
“So I feel Voices of the Ancestors are definitely kept in Georgian traditional music for me. It brings me so much energetic, like emotional information and energy er encoded in this music over the centuries, which is just because of our ancestors and their voices.”
Dr Teona Lomsadze
- Are there rules at the Supra table? – Teo walks us through her family feasts.
- Can a woman be tamada? – Gender dynamics at the supra table
- Is Supra a ritual? – The sacred power of wine at the supra table
This is what the Georgian language looks like :-
პოდკასტ (ციფრული.აუდიო ფაილი ინტერნეტში) „წინაპართა ხმები”-ის ფარგლებში ჰოლი და სიუზანი ესაუბრებიან ქართული მრავალხმიანი სიმღერების ქალ შემსრულებლებს, როგორც საქართველოში, ისე მის ფარგლებს გარეთ. ისინი ერთად განიხილავენ სიმღერების მოგზაურობის ისტორიებსა და მასთან დაკავშირებულ ამბებს. პოდკასტის მასპინძლები დიდ ბრიტანეთში ცხოვრობენ, სტუმრები კი მსოფლიოს სხვადასხვა ქვეყნიდან არიან მოწვეული. ყოველი მხრიდან, სადაც ფოლკლორის მოყვარულებს ქართულ ჰარმონიებთან აქვთ შეხება
In the above, we speak to our Georgian readers about Voices of the Ancestors, a ‘georgian podcast’ in the english language.
Reviews
★★★★★ ‘lazy sender’, about the Second Series
“Intimate, uplifting, inspiring and beautiful; This very enjoyable start for the second series. We are taken into the hearts of these women, and it’s so lovely to feel inside of their group as the younger generation describe the joy they experience. Well done, team!”
Alistair, listener and Ko-fi supporter
“This podcast helped me to join the dots of many a story. The episode with Joan Mills of CPR was so moving, I had to stop driving to cry. I really would love to hear another series!“
bee_franz, early adopter – 5 Star Apple Review
“This is such an interesting podcast, featuring beautiful voices, stories and songs from Georgia. Full of emotion, heart and wonderful music. I had no knowledge of this topic before listening, but love hearing from the people, teachers and singers of these traditional songs – a hidden gem of the world.”
Derek Wilcox, singer with Chela & Buska, Maspindzeli
“Voices of the Ancestors enables Georgian singers to share their lives with us, the listeners, who are given a unique and personal insight into their music. I definitely feel a real part of a family of Georgian singers in the UK, helping this community to prosper and grow, creating connections to many Georgian singers both in the UK and in Georgia.”
Trailer
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