Week 26: #Blessed

As those residing in Georgia know: there is ALWAYS room for Jesus! As the crosses and churches dotting the countryside portray, Georgians are overwhelmingly apart of the Georgian Orthodox church! However, religion is a bit different than the United States. More on that below...

Mtskheta

Throughout Georgia's history and despite foreigner invaders, Georgia has remained a proud Christian nation. Even during Soviet times, many churches and monasteries were left untouched and Georgians--albeit secretly--practiced Christianity. That is not to say the Soviet project didn't suppress the church and the cross was left in the shadows of the hammer and sickle

Sameba

Nowadays, there is a close relationship between Church and State. Schools have alters in almost every classroom and religious holidays are considered national holidays! Honestly, just look at the flag! 5 crosses is pretty telling! Even in the private sphere, it is rare to see a home without an ornate shrine and a Georgian without a wearable cross. Of course, passing a church will insight a marshutka full of Georgians to cross themselves feverishly.

Frescoes in Bagrati's Cathedral

However, in my opinion, religion is more of a cultural experience than a zealous belief system. People will call themselves Orthodox and cross themselves near a church, but whether they truly believe the Patriarch--the leader of the Georgian Orthodox Church--or not is a totally different story. Many complaints I've heard regarding the church has been surrounding leadership and corruption. Recently, there was a scandal of a successive pope attempting to poison the current Patriarch who has severe Parkinson's and it is even difficult for him to perform public functions; but, I guess, someone was eager to seize power...

Katskhi's Cathedral

As for practice, some people believe church attendance is not a mandatory part of spirituality unlike many Americans. Furthermore, many people can attend church as frequently as they choose. Prayer and worship is based on lighting a candle and standing while praying for many hours at a time. A church service is very much a sermon delivered by a bearded man clad in long black dress to a standing crowd (reserved seating for the elderly) and people often follow strict dietary regiments when fasting (i'm still confused which days people can eat what!). Admittedly, I still do not fully understand the ins and outs of Georgian Orthodoxy, but I find it fascinating!

It's lit!

Of course, it is important to note the religious minorities in the country! You'll find large numbers of Muslim Azeris in the southeast, and the Adjara province, bordering Turkey and having a history of being flipflopped between the two nations, has a sizable Muslim population. Atheists are everywhere, but, I think that is a very private matter. Unfortunately, religious tolerance is not all 'kum-ba-ya''. I'm not sure Islam invokes a positive connotation in a Georgian's mind; however, that goes without saying, I have met some extremely accepting individuals here. Until my personal population sample is larger, it's difficult to make these ~hasty~ assumptions!

Bagrati's Cathedral

Overall, religion is fascinating concept in Georgia. Behind the centuries old churches, there is--or not!--a Georgian's personal journey with the heavens above (or even those below!) I'm #blessed to be here ;)

Katskhi's Pillar A.k.a A little closer to the heavens