This holiday in Albania (which is almost three-quarters mountainous) has not taken place since covid, but we look forward to the future again.
The celebration of Dajti Mountain Day, for the residents of Tirana, has started to be a beautiful ceremony that seeks to remove people from the noise of the city to spend some unforgettable hours amidst the pristine mountain nature. On this day in the mountains, you can witness a series of cultural activities and you can get lost between the colours and the snow.
It happens to become a witness and a wedding, which brings with it the joy of the holiday. This is how it was two years ago … the whole party was organised as a wedding with many guests. The Mirdita wedding rite, a mountain wedding, where the groom comes horseback to pick up his bride, crossing nine mountains.
Mountain wedding rites carry precious views of the national heritage, and whenever you think of mountain day, the beautiful sight of the bride and the music of the mountain dance song comes to mind. These ceremonies and festivals feature traditional costumes embroidered masterfully by masters of different areas, music, and dance typical of Albanian lands.
Even after the holiday passes, its echo remains for years. The mountain festival in Dajt helps you more if you want to get to know the intact cultures and traditions if you want to enjoy the characteristic cuisine with wonderful local products, as the mountain is the ideal place where you will feel the true values of the centuries and the old dialogue: man with nature.
I’m letting these echos ring through my head and my heart this winter and hoping we can return to it in reality next year.
Daniela Ruçi works as a grants coordinator for Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT). She has many years’ experience as an environmental expert and previously worked as a manager for the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) programme. Daniela is IE’s Deputy Office Manager and she can be contacted at: Daniela.ruci@interpret-europe.net.
To cite this article: Ruçi, Daniela (2021) ‘The echo of Mountain Day’ in Interpret Europe Newsletter 4-2021, pg.32
Available online: https://interpret-europe.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Newsletter-Winter-2021.pdf
