The ancient traditions and rites of Albanian weddings

Traditions vary from region to region, but generally have the same origins. But the way the wedding was celebrated 50 years ago differs from today's methods.

Teacher Nora Malaj tells about her wedding, which took place 36 years ago. The dowry was thought about a long time in advance, for the reason that you would start life and it was a concern not only for the bride, but for the whole family.

"My wedding took place on October 9, while the whole week before the wedding took the preparation time, because you have to bring the dowry (the dowry was sent on Wednesday). I was not very traditional, but the dowry was necessary to start life. I remember that during the summer, in addition to the reading I was doing, I had to do an hour of manual work, which became a nuisance. But today I thank my grandmother for teaching me to do everything", she said.

Meanwhile, the housewife from Devolli, Mimoza Kambo Fifo, told more about the rites of the Devolli area.

"The wedding starts from Monday to Sunday; the women of the tribe gather, make baklava on Monday, and at dinner the young people dance in the yard of the boy's house. On Thursday, the bride's clothes are taken - the white dress 0 and the girl's clothes are taken and brought to the boy's house. Then, on Saturday, the daughter's wedding takes place. And, on Sunday morning, the chicken is slaughtered, pancakes are made, the groom goes to get the bride, the bridegroom steals something small, but the others don't find out until the wedding is over," she said.

There have been many traditions and rites of Albanian weddings. Today they have faded, but different areas still fanatically preserve some of them. It is worth mentioning some of the main traditions where, in the area of ​​Tirana, the custom is that one locume is divided in half, between the mother-in-law and the bride. Labëria was known for the "duel" with words between the Khrushchevs. In Korça, bread with chickpeas remains a special tradition for the bride, so that she will be fertile. Meanwhile, in the area of ​​Tepelena, there is a lot of spending on food and a lot of rumuzu. /Albania/