KITKA Shen Gigalobt

SHEN GIGALOBT Georgian Orthodox tradition, as sung by Georgian women’s ensemble Ialoni, who met with Kitka in Tbilisi in October, 2010 In the Georgian Orthodox liturgy, there is a list of praises to God which is similar to that in the Gloria of the Roman Catholic mass. The verb form gigalobt (to sing praise in church) is derived from the Georgian word which signifies a bird’s tweeting. This time-honored pantheism, a close connection between nature and holiness, seems quite integrated in Georgian life today