Abkhazians are unique and interesting to everyone. Religion, cuisine, clothing, traditions and rituals - a presentation in any ethnographic society dedicated to the ancient Caucasian people will necessarily affect each of these aspects of life.
Abkhazia is an incredibly original country. Its inhabitants were able to preserve the old national beliefs by adopting Christianity. And the culture and life of the Abkhazians, as well as their traditional national clothes, differ in many respects from the customs of other peoples inhabiting the Caucasus region.
What religions are there in Abkhazia?
If everything is clear with the question of the name of the people living in this sunny mountainous country, these are Abkhazians, what religion they have is not entirely clear. On the one hand, Abkhazia is a Christian state, but on the other hand, Christians make up only about 60% of the total population, according to social surveys conducted in 2003.
PoAccording to the same survey, the country is home to about 16% of Muslims, of the total population, and almost 8% of non-believers. The rest of the inhabitants of Abkhazia identified themselves as pagans, adherents of the traditional national religion, representatives of other religious denominations, and 6% found it difficult to answer the question.
What Christian denominations are there in Abkhazia?
Three branches of the Christian religion are represented in the country:
- Orthodoxy;
- Catholicism;
- Lutheranism.
The overwhelming majority of Christians are Orthodox. However, there are few churches in this country, several dozen, and Catholic and Lutheran churches can be counted on the fingers of one hand.
Orthodoxy is headed by its own diocese, formerly part of the Georgian one. As a result of the military conflict between the two countries, the diocese actually ceased to be subordinate to the Georgian patriarch. In 2009, by the decision of the local clergy, the Sukhumi-Abkhaz Diocese of the Georgian Orthodox Church also ceased to exist legally. Instead of it, two dioceses were established on the territory of the country - Pitsunda and Sukhumi. Both of them are administered by the Abkhazian Orthodox Church.
As for Catholicism, the current parish is located in Sukhumi. Here the Catholic community has about 150 people. There are small communities of Catholics in Gagra and in Pitsunda. Legally, Catholic churches are under the jurisdiction of the Apostolic Administration of the Caucasus. She, in turn, is included inRoman Catholic Church. On the territory of the country there is a representative office of charitable Catholic organizations, for example, the Caritas society.
Not far from the current Catholic church in Sukhumi, the doors of the Lutheran church are open. Its parishioners are mainly visiting Europeans and ethnic Germans. St. John's Lutheran Parish opened to believers in 2002.
How is Islam represented?
Islam is not the traditional religion of Abkhazia. He touched the people of Abkhazia later than Christianity, in the early Middle Ages. This happened at a time when the state, called the Abkhaz principality in the history books, was dependent on the Turks.
There are two functioning mosques on the territory of the country. One of them is located in Sukhumi, and the second in Gudauta. The location of the mosques is due to the fact that the majority of those who profess this religion live in the Gudauta and Gagra regions of the country.
Is there Judaism?
The traditional Jewish religion is represented by one synagogue operating in Sukhumi. Most of the adherents of Judaism who lived before the start of the military conflict with Georgia are not Abkhazians. Faith, whatever it may be, needs those who will profess it. The Jews, on the other hand, left the country after the start of the war to other states.
Mostly Jews of Georgian origin left, who were the majority in the local diaspora. Russian-speaking adherents of Judaism, who identify themselves as Ashkenazim, remained in the country. Most of them live inSukhumi. And the total number of professing Judaism in the country is about two hundred people.
What is the name of the traditional religion?
Few countries in the world were able to save and preserve their own, traditional, primordial religion. Abkhazia is among such countries. The religion of the Abkhaz is not paganism or polytheism. The original religion of these lands is called monotheism. As a rule, an explanation is added to the word monotheism - Abkhazian.
How is monotheism different from paganism?
The main difference between monotheism and paganism is the belief in one God, the creator of all things. That is, in fact, monotheism differs little in its structure from many ancient forms of religions, for example, the faith of the Jews described in the Bible. The part that deals with the theme of the Exodus.
Paganism is characterized by the presence of a supreme deity or several, as well as a pantheon of super-beings with a lower rank. That is, pagan beliefs can simultaneously combine several cults that are equivalent or have a different status. For example - fertility, crafts, forces of nature and others. Distributed in pagan beliefs and the presence of two principles - male and female.
Monotheism lacks such nuances. In this religion, there is only one god, who created everything that a person sees and how he lives.
What is Abkhaz monotheism?
The religion of Abkhazia, the people who originally inhabit the lands of this country, is the subject of study for many who are interested in primary religions. For example, in 1994-1998a large study was conducted by scientists from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS).
What the Abkhaz have long believed in, the religion of this people, like any traditional religion, is not controlled by any spiritual institutions or other forms of organized control. All rules related to rituals, worship and other manifestations of religion are controlled only by traditions and customs. However, this does not mean that there are no spiritual leaders among believers. These functions are performed by the priesthood.
Local historians-Abkhazians attribute their religion to pantheism. This term combines philosophical and religious teachings that perceive God and nature, the world, as a single whole. Some experts believe that the answer to the question of what religion the Abkhazians have will be the definition - the original monotheism, that is, a kind of pro-religion, preserved in a unique, almost primary state. In its content, the Abkhazian faith is practically no different from many other religions, except for the maximum respect for nature, the surrounding world and the land on which these people live.
Who do they pray to in Abkhazian monotheism?
Abkhazians, whose religion implies the presence of a single creator for everything that surrounds a person, believe in the god Antsea. It is he, according to local religious teachings, who is the deity who created the world and, in principle, created everything that exists, including the earth itself and man.
This is very similar to the biblical story of the creation of the world and life. At the momentthe similarities don't stop there. The deity Antsea has assistants. These are the highest creatures, representing God both on earth and in heaven, and helping him to cope with everything that happens. They are called apaimbars. In addition to the affairs of heaven, apaimbars roam among people, on the land, the name of which is Abkhazia. The Abkhaz religion claims that these higher beings report to God about everything that happens in the world he created.
The similarity of the functions of the apaimbars and the very fact of their presence with the host of angels is not in doubt even among people who are far from the subtleties of religious beliefs and are prone to skepticism. But the gods who are addressed with prayer or service, these creatures are not. There is only one God in the faith of the Abkhazians - Antsea, and there are many apaimbars. The most revered among them is Dydrypsh.
What does the word "apaimbari" mean?
The literary translation of the term "apaimbars" sounds like "prophets". The Abkhazians themselves, the religion of this people, sanctuaries and rituals put a different meaning into this term. Abkhazians put two meanings into this term:
- angel;
- an older person who enjoys the respect and obedience of younger people.
Older and younger people are not only a characteristic of age. These concepts are much broader and take into account the merits of a person, his deeds for the benefit of the people, lifestyle and much more. That is, the term "apaimbari" has both a religious meaning and is part of everyday, colloquial speech. When using a word in a conversation, they characterize the person leadinga commendable way of life, having influence over others, respected in society.
Where did this word come from?
The literary translation of the term "apaimbari" is due to the origin of this word. Linguists suggest that it is the speech form of the word "paygambar", translated from Farsi meaning "a prophet carrying a message from Allah." That was the name of Mohammed.
That is, it is supposed to borrow a term from another culture, or simply the penetration of a word into the Abkhazian language from Farsi.
What is the difference between apaimbars and angels?
Each of the apaimbars is busy with their own business. This makes them related to the characters of mythology - the spirits of lakes, mountains, forests, brownies, ovens and other representatives of folklore that exist in every culture.
Junior apaimbars watching the state:
- river;
- mountains;
- forests;
- households;
- people's houses;
- cattle;
- sea and other things.
Even the state of the hearth is monitored by the apaimbars. They not only observe what is happening, but can also intervene in it. For example, keep the fire in the hearth of the shepherd, if he falls asleep. They can protect livestock from attack by predators or pestilence. Of course, the Apaimbars report to the creator of the world, Antsea, about everything that happens.
Senior apaimbars are in charge of everything that makes up the main moments in human life, that is, fate. They are called Ashatsva. In some regions of the country, the name of the senior apaimbars sounds a little different - ashachsha.
Meaning,the meaning of this word is "those who dispense fate." Immediately after the birth of a person, the ashatswa gather around him and determine what kind of happiness the newborn will get, how many years his life will last, what deeds will fall to his lot.
Ashatswa are believed to arrive in the form of doves. And not just for newborns. They also warn of changes in the path of life or of dangers lurking. For example, if a dove flies up to a traveler who has sat down to rest, then this is a sign for a person, telling him that something not quite good awaits ahead.
Of course, the ashatswa, as well as the younger apaimbars, report to the divine creator about everything that happens.
Where do services take place?
Every nation builds sanctuaries or temples, and Abkhazians are no exception. Religion, whatever it may be, needs a place where believers can come.
Abkhazian sanctuaries are called anykha. The Abkhazian land is protected by seven Great Sanctuaries, their totality is called byzhnykha. Only five of them are currently active:
- Dydrypsh-nyha;
- Lashkendar-nykha;
- Lykh-nyha;
- Ldzaa-nyha;
- Ylyr-nyha.
The sixth ancient shrine is located in the Pskhu valley populated by ethnic Russians. The sanctuary is called - Inal-Kuba.
The seventh shrine is considered lost. Some historians and local historians believe that the circle of the Great Sanctuaries protecting the chosen land is closed by a place called Byt-khu. Others put forward versions that they could act as the seventh shrine in antiquity:
- Lapyr-nyha;
- Gech-nyha;
- Napra-nyha;
- Kapba-nyha.
It has not yet been possible to prove that any of these places belong to the circle of the Great Sanctuaries.
Sanctuaries are maintained in proper condition by priests - anykha payu. There is no way to become a priest in Abkhazia, you have to be born as a clergyman. Behind each of the shrines there is an ancient clan, belonging to which the Abkhazians could officially change their religion more than once, depending on the political situation, but for centuries, from ancient times to the present, they took care of the places entrusted to them by Antsea.
What is interesting about the customs of modern Abkhazians?
Those who call themselves Christians do not observe fasts and other customs of this religion. Those who consider themselves Muslims have often never seen the Koran in their lives. But each of the Abkhaz can tell about how this land was populated. The Creator, that is, Antsea, left Abkhazia to himself, for its extraordinary beauty. But the piety of the Abkhaz people, their loy alty to the customs of their ancestors and traditional customs, touched God so much that he gave this land to them. And since then, the Abkhaz have been living on the chosen land, keeping it and using all the gifts that it gives.
Those who live here celebrate many holidays, both their own, monotheistic, and Christian and Islamic. However, each celebration comes down to a traditional Caucasian feast, with stories told at the table of ancient stories, traditions and legends.
In the customs of the inhabitants of Abkhazia in a bizarre waythe trend of other cultures mixed with their original rituals. However, alien customs did not replace the original, national ones, but rather, on the contrary, were absorbed by them and adapted to suit themselves.
