On May 21, Abkhazia celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Caucasian War and the Forced Eviction of the Mountain Peoples of the Caucasus.
The choice of date is due to the fact that on May 21, 1864, Russian General P.V. Grabbe held a military parade in the Kbaada tract (Krasnaya Polyana) in honor of the victory over the mountain peoples. Thus, the bloody Caucasian War ended, as a result of which the Russian Empire finally established its control over the territory of the North Caucasus.
In the sixties — seventies of the 19th century, thousands of Abkhazians were forced to leave their historical homeland and move to the countries of the Middle East. Mahajirs settled in communities, restoring laws and traditions adopted in the Caucasus. Descendants of Abkhaz Mahajirs live in 45 countries. The largest Abkhaz diaspora — in Turkey.
It must be said that earlier the Day of Remembrance of the Mahajirs in Abkhazia, unlike the republics of the North Caucasus, was celebrated on May 31. Since 2011, this day has been celebrated on May 21.
On this day, on the Makhajirov Embankment in Sukhumi, the already traditional laying of wreaths and flowers at the monument to the Mahajirs takes place. Initially, a memorial stone was laid on this site on Sukhumi embankment on May 31, 1990. And in September 2010, a monument to the Abkhaz mahajirs — victims of the Caucasian War of the 19th century was erected on the site of the stone.
The monument consists of figures of a rider and a horse cast in bronze, the rider's hand raised up and clenched into a fist symbolizes the desire for revival. The author of the sculpture — is the famous Abkhaz artist and sculptor Gennady Lakoba. In addition to the historical one, the monument, of course, also has high artistic value.
The descendants of the Mahajirs are confident that this — monument is a very important symbol both for those who returned to their historical homeland and for those who still live abroad.
The installation of the monument, according to the Abkhazians themselves, also has serious political significance. The topic of mahajirism played an important role in the revival of the self-awareness of the Abkhaz people and largely influenced the political processes that took place in the eighties of the last century and, ultimately, led to the declaration of independence of Abkhazia.
Today, every year on the day of remembrance of the Mahajirs, people come to Sukhumi embankment and lay flowers and wreaths at the monument. State leaders, members of the government, members of parliament, and descendants of Abkhaz mahajirs also take part in the wreath-laying ceremony.