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RELIGION
Bakhodyr ERGASHEV
Bakhodyr Ergashev, D.Sc. (Philos.), professor, head of the Social Sciences and Humanities Department, University of World Economy and Diplomacy (Tashkent, Uzbekistan)
The New Year celebrations that demonstrated confessional peace in the republic were among the most important events of the country’s religious life in 2006. The head of state wished the nation a Happy New Year, declared 2006 to be the Year of Charity and Medics and described it as the year “of stronger peace and stability in the country, family harmony, and continued vigilance in the current far from simple situation in the region and all over the world.” By 1 January, 2006, there were 2,186 religious organizations functioning in the country: the Sunni formed the majority in the local Islamic community; Christians mainly belonged to the largest organizations, such as the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), the Roman Catholic Church, and the Full Gospel Christian Church, etc.
On 7 January, over 20,000 attended the Christmas services at 30 churches and three monasteries (convents in Tashkent and Dustabad and the monastery in Chirchik). The central Christmas ceremony led by Metropolitan of Tashkent and Central Asia Vladimir took place in the Holy Dormition Cathedral in Tashkent. Children’s Christmas parties were held in the cathedral until 15 January; 27 performances were attended by about 6,000 people, the largest number in the republic’s history. Similar events were organized in the Holy Trinity Convent of St. Nicholas, the Church of Grand Prince St. Vladimir, Equal-to-the-Apostles, and many other smaller churches across the country. The Christmas celebration organized by the eparchy went on for…………..
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