Culture of Albania
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Architecture
The architecture of Albania is one of the most important evidence of the Albanians' history, culture and identity. It has its origins in the Antiquity, richly revealed by archaeological finds. It has kept its original features and has been enriched with Roman, Ancient Greek, Byzantine, Venetian, Ottoman and Western elements.
In recent times Albanian architecture has flourished both at home and abroad. Recent years have also seen the emergence of several new architectural firms operating both in Albania and internationally.
Dances
Dress
Traditional Albanian clothing includes more than 200 different kind of clothings in all Albania and Albanian inhabited lands. The Albanian folk dress is often decorated with symbolic elements of antique pagan origin, like suns, eagles, moons, stars, and snakes.[1] Almost every region in Albania has its own traditional dress with women clothing being particularly colorful and rich in detail.
Traditional Albanian clothing, dances, and folklore are showcased in several festivals including the Gjirokaster National Folklore Festival in Gjirokaster, Sofra Dardane every June in Bajram Curri, Oda Dibrane in Peshkopi, Logu i Bjeshkeve every August in Kelmend, Cham Dance Festival in Saranda, and other festivals in various Albanian cities.
Today the daily clothing of Albanians is the same with that of the other European countries.
Education
The education system in Albania is secular. The literacy rate for the adult population is 96%.[2] Elementary education is compulsory (grades 1–9), but most students continue at least until a secondary education (grades 10–12). Students must pass graduation exams at the end of the 9th grade and at the end of the 12th grade in order to continue their education. There are about 5000, mostly public, schools throughout the country and the academic year is divided into two semesters. The school year begins in September and finishes in late May or early June. There are public and private universities all around the country and also an online university, WORLWIDE University that offers different branch.
Folklore
Albanian myths can be divided into two major groups: legends of metamorphosis and historical legends. Some of the best known legends are: Rozafa, Besa e Kostandinit, Gjergj Elez Alia, Ymer Agë Ulqini, and Cikli i Kreshnikëve.
Fine arts
Music
Literature
Theater
Sport
Football is the most popular sport in Albania.
Wedding traditions
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Dress of Muslim Shkodran Brides
The dress of the Muslim bride is characterized by its elegance and transparency, in that of the Catholic one can see full colors. The Catholic bride's dress is characterized by its picturesque effects and harmony.
There are two types of Muslim wedding dresses. One is worked on a "shajak" (large piece of wool) and with floral motives worked with "gajtan" (kind of rope) black cotton, sometimes mixed with green. The other one is worked in the same material but with red color. Different from the first here the motifs are enriched with full colors. The difference between this two dresses that at the first dress the motifs occupy all the area, at the second it occupies a little part in the front and back. These dresses have a belt worked with gold and grain necklaces in red, rose, orange creating all together a warm surface. Here the motifs are very small.
This gallery of costumes, richness of colors, sentiments are a big experience of lots of years of a population like ours, not only for the ability to conserve alive the tradition, inheriting it generations after generations, but also for conserving the high technique of elaboration or the high artistic level.
Dress of Catholic Shkodran Bride
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The dress is tripped from the transparent white, shiny, soft, which spreads all over the body, and is intended to suggest tranquility and a warm purity. This concept of tradition is achieved through the white of the base material and the gold thread over. This dress is composed by the "barnaveke": some kind of very long pants which seem a skirt. In the upper part is worn a shirt and over it a "jelek" (waistcoat).
Paja
Ritual songs name various elements which contain "paja" (pronounced paya) of the girl, which are the goods parents give to the daughter to wear, to furnish the house, gifts for her husband and the intimate cousins. Elements are typically made by weaving clothes using looms. The preparation of the "paja" for the parents of the bride is a pleasure which means also accomplishing the obligations toward the daughter. This is also an expression of the love of parents, but is connected with the economical conditions of the family.
Dhuntia
"Dhunti" in Shkodra means the gifts that the groom prepares for the bride during the engagement, mainly clothes, jewelry, gold ornaments and tricks, which are sent to her a few days before the wedding. In addition to those received by the family of his father, the bride takes many gifts from the groom and his family. "Dhuntia", which had a considerable monetary value, was prepared with great care by the family of the boy, because in some way embodied respect and love for his young bride, to whom these gifts were made, love for their son that he married at the same time was also a representation of the family in its economic and aesthetic. In "dhunti" there were enough clothes and items for use at all times, in joy and in sorrow, which expressed particular attention to the role of women.
Kole Idromeno and "Dasma Shkodrane"
In 1924, Idromeno drew the picture Dasma Shkodrane ("Shkodra wedding"), which immediately became known to the general public and was an accurate description of the original customs of the country. The environment is characteristic of Shkodra, the houses enclosed by high walls, windows, trees, chimneys, and minarets.
See also
- Albanian language
- Albanian folklore
- Cinema of Albania
- Albanian art
- Albanian music
- Albanian rock
- Albanian comics
- Albanian cuisine
- Religion in Albania
- wikiquote:Albanian proverbs
- List of Albanian writers
- Radio Televizioni Shqiptar
- Albanian sworn virgins
- Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini
- List of tribes of Albania
- Albanian e-learning
References
- ^ Leyla Belkaid (2013), "Albania", in Jill Condra (ed.), Encyclopedia of National Dress: Traditional Clothing Around the World, vol. I, ABC-CLIO, p. 16, ISBN 9780313376368
- ^ "Albania - Statistics". UNICEF. Retrieved 2012-09-17.
External links
- Ministry of Culture of Albania
- National Library of Albania
- 48 Albanian Proverbs
- Books about Albania and the Albanian people (scribd.com) Reference of books (and some journal articles) about Albania and the Albanian people; their history, language, origin, culture, literature, etc. Public domain books, fully accessible online.
Artisan Skilled Crafts
- Professional Albanian Women Entrepreneurs and Artisans Association
- Albanian Artisans Association Facebook Page
