Compared to all
other parts of Georgia, Guria is a comparably young region, with its
history dating back to the 8th century BC (Georgia itself is 3 thousand
years old. It is an Orthodox Christian country since 337 A.D.). Bordered
with an aggressive Muslim world, Gurians always had to be prepared
to fight the enemy. Once, in the middle of the 19th century, a Gurian
nobleman Bolkvadze came across six armed Turks in the woods. Bolkvadze
didn’t get lost: he attacked the Turks, who obviously did not
expect such an action. Before the enemy could realize what was happening,
Bolkvadze killed two of them, injured one and caught another. Only
one of the Turks escaped.
Gurian people were well known around Georgia for their courage
and audacity. According to the famous Georgian poet Akaki Tsereteli
(1840-1915): ”It’s hard to find people as lively, dynamic
and open to innovations and progress as the Gurians are”.
As to the Gurian songs they are just as hot-tempered, quick and
mysterious as the Gurian character itself. When a famous American
composer Igor Stravinsky first heard the Gurian song “Krimanchuli,”
he became amazed by the singular vocal technique and exclaimed that
this was the best thing he had ever heard. |