Christmas was celebrated in Nij settlement.
On January 7, the Orthodox Christians of the world celebrate Christmas - the nativity of Christ. Udis living in the Nij settlement of the Gabala region celebrate this day in their own way. Yesterday, settlement residents gathered for a festive ceremony organized in the Albanian "Chotari" Church. At the ceremony, the head of the Albanian-Udi community, the priest of the church and the members of the community spoke about the significance of Christmas, the conditions created for the performance of religious rites in Azerbaijan, the land of tolerance, the attention and care of our state for them, voiced greetings on the occasion. It was noted that the Nij settlement, where Muslims and Christians live together in peace, is considered a small model of tolerance. The Udis noted that there is no discrimination against them in the region, and that the capital restoration of the Albanian "Chotari" Church in Nij is an excellent example of the atmosphere of tolerance in the country. As reported, there are 3 churches and 2 mosques in the Nij settlement. 3700 Udis live in the settlement with a population of seven thousand people. In general, 4000 Udis live in our country, 300 of which are registered in Oguz and Baku. The number of Udis in the world is about 10 thousand. For 2500 years, the Udis have retained their language, religion, traditions and customs in the settlement. In the Nij settlement, the Udi language is taught in elementary schools, religious rites in the church are performed in their native language. At the end, in connection with the Christmas ceremony, candles were lit in the church, prayers were read, and a festive table was laid.
