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| Nalchik residents honored the memory of the victims of the Caucasian War by lighting candles |
| 2025-05-21 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [KavkazUzel] Residents of Nalchik came to the Tree of Life memorial to take part in a memorial evening dedicated to the 161st anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War. At the end of the evening, they lit 101 candles in memory of those killed. As reported by the "Caucasian Knot", on May 20, 2024, residents of Kabardino-Balkaria honored the memory of the victims of the Caucasian War on the occasion of the 160th anniversary of its end. They gathered in Nalchik at the "Tree of Life" monument. The participants of the action said that they try to come to the memorial every year to pay tribute to the memory of those who died for the independence of the Circassian people. The Caucasian War, which lasted from 1763 to 1864, brought the Adyghe people to the brink of extinction. After the war and the mass deportation of the Adyghe to the Ottoman Empire, only a little more than 50,000 people remained in their homeland. The Russian authorities have still not made a decision to recognize the genocide of the Circassians during the war, according to a report from the "Caucasian Knot". At least two hundred people gathered for the event at the memorial. Some of the men who participated in the event were dressed in national costumes (Circassian coats), a correspondent for the “Caucasian Knot” reported. A literary and musical composition was performed for those gathered: actors of the Kabardian theater read poetry, and musicians, folk singers Artur Dyshekov, Azamat Pekov, Asiyat Cherkesova, Oksana Khakulova, the ensemble "Chegem Waterfalls" and others performed gybze (lament songs) dedicated to the events of the Caucasian War. Folk melodies on the shikapshin were performed by musician Zuber Euaz. At the end of the evening, the participants of the event traditionally lit 101 candles on the pedestal of the monument. Nalchik resident Beslan Khagazheyev, who was present at the event, explained his participation in the action by the fact that the memory of his ancestors is sacred to him. “They gave their lives in an unequal struggle for their identity, customs, laws - everything that they valued and that was sacred to them. Every Adyghe is obliged to honor their ancestors. This gives us the right to exist,” he told a “Caucasian Knot” correspondent. Khagazheev noted that he knows about the events of the Caucasian War only from books, and his family has not preserved any family memories of that period. According to him, too much time has passed today for people to remember the personal stories of older relatives through generations, especially since the participants in those events either died or were deported. "There are many historical sources from which one can learn about these distant events. This must be done, the people must know their history," the Nalchik resident added. Baksan resident Islam Batyrov said that he comes to the monument every year on the anniversary of the end of the Caucasian War, "just to stand and be silent." "It is impossible to listen to these songs indifferently, they penetrate into the very heart," he said. Batyrov shares the opinion that history must be known, noting that "it should not be a burden and drag us back into the past." "Knowing our history, we must move forward: develop our culture, study our native language, so that one day we do not find ourselves in front of the fact that new generations cannot read and write in the Kabardian language," said a participant in the evening. In his opinion, in order to preserve their identity, the Adyghe need to pay more attention to studying their native language, customs and traditions. "Unfortunately, everything that our ancestors held dear, everything that they fought for, died for, is now being lost by us simply like that, voluntarily. We are ready to succumb to any influence - be it Arabic or European, but we do not even try to preserve our own," he stated. Khusein Tukov from Nalchik also attends the memorial events every year. "We come to remember our ancestors who disappeared in this war. This memory is important to us, it unites all the Adyghe people of the world," he said. A rally near the Tree of Life memorial is planned for May 21. |
| Posted by:badanov |