The traditional Abkhaz religion was actually never completely wiped out; circles of priests, whose activity was kept secret, passed on
traditional knowledge and rites in the times when
Christianity and
Islam became dominant in the region, and later in Soviet times of anti-religion. Since the 1980s, and later in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Abkhaz native religion was resurrected by the joint efforts of priests who began to resurface, rural people reactivating local rituals, and urban intellectuals supporting Paganism as an integral part for a reawakening of the Abkhaz
ethnic and cultural identity. A turning point for the revival of the Abkhaz native religion came with the
Georgian–Abkhazian conflict. With tensions growing, more and more Abkhazians began associating
Orthodox Christianity with the
Georgians, and chose to reject it, turning to the native gods. Since then the Abkhaz native religion has been protected by Abkhaz authorities. Government officials took part in a bull sacrifice in October 1993 celebrated to thank the Lord Dydrypsh for the victory over the Georgians, and since then they regularly take part in worship rituals. ==See also==