Traditional religious practice of Abkhazians as the way to preserve ethnos in the conditions of globalization

Abstract

This article examines the phenomenon of preservation of the traditional cult practices of Abkhazians in the current context. The key tasks of this research include studying ritualism in terms of the traditional beliefs (religion) of Abkhazians, creation of the “scenario” of ritual practice, and assessment of the relevance and role of this phenomenon in life of the modern Abkhazian ethnos. The conclusion that the cult practice manifests as a form of Abkhazians’ identity, a so-called cultural core, and allows the ethnos to preserve itself in the conditions of globalization and multiple destructive modern trends that  destructive for the ethnos.  The main results of the conducted research consists in the statement that the modern Abkhazian society marks dominance of the traditional values and beliefs (religion), against the background of which are implemented Christian or Islamic practices. Traditional religion is perpetuated, holistic, regulated by the institution of priests and the true faith of the entire Abkhazian ethnos. Reliability of the research is substantiated with the author's expedition materials, acquired as a result of expedition work in 2013-2017.