Tirana Local Customs

1 more image

In front of Tirana hotel, one guy from our little group could not resist to go and ask to a group of three women in uniform some silly question, just to see how they reacted (first photo). I do not remember what was the question but I know that they did answer very kindly. Our Albanian guide had told us that we should photography neither military facilities nor militaries themselves. But I wanted to have a photo of militaries, so I shot them and did not get in trouble.

Then I did it again from closer (second photo) and the girls did not care…

As we had spent several nights in Tirana Hotel, I had spotted a bakery and went early morning to buy a pytë (a kind of turnover stuffed either with cheese or ground meat or spinach or any other filling). The shop was full of people queuing up for bread. As soon as I entered the shop, they all withdraw and made me understand that I should go first. That was quite embarrassing but I could not hide that I was a foreigner. I had a beard, which was forbidden only two years earlier, even for foreigners. Anyway, I would have been unable to say "no, no, after you"! Thus I went on and got my pytë, which was delicious.

This small post-office was just behind Hotel Tirana. I wanted to phone to my daughter and I was convinced that I would not get the call. The phone operator connected me first to a distant phone operator who asked me why I wanted to call my daughter, what I had to tell her, etc… And finally, I was tuned and could talk for a while with my daughter. That was really unexpected!

I was taking pictures of a building, when a guard came over with a stern face and wagged his finger at me: a clear signal to me to stop. No problem, I thought, and instinctively nodded in acceptance. He got agitated, pulled an even sterner face, and wagged his finger at me even more furiously. Then as he saw me putting my camera away, a look of realisation crossed his face and he smiled.

In Albania it is customary to nod your head to say no, and to shake your head to say yes, the complete opposite of what we are used to in the rest of the world. Apart from that one incident above, this didn't lead me into any trouble, although I'm guessing that's largely to do with their own understanding that foreigners behave differently.

The Albanian people are very hospitable and seem willing to go far out of their way to meet the requests of visitors. I have never seen anything quite like it, though I have travelled in a number of places that pride themselves on hospitality. I suggest if you visit, that you not take advantage of this wonderful cultural trait, as it would be a great loss if it were to disappear.

The national drink of Albania is called raki, which is very closely related to arak in the middle east - in fact it was the Ottomans that introduced raki in this part of the world.

It is normally made from fermented and distilled fruit, usually grapes but sometimes plums. A special one in Albania is of a very light green colour called mani raki (in the picture)... it's made from white mulberry and its taste andsmell are quite something.

Raki is sipped in small amounts - often as an aperitif, sometimes with a bit of water.

4 more images

These photos were taken at the end of the 1988 May 1st parade.

The first photo shows a couple traditional clothes from Northern Albania (Gheg dialect).

The second photo shows male traditional clothes from Northern Albania (Gheg dialect).

The third photo shows female traditional clothes from the south (Tosk dialect), but I cannot tell of which region.

The fourth photo shows slightly different clothes, most probably from a neighbouring district to the previous.

The fifth is not really a traditional clothing. Before 1991, Romas were strongly discriminated. Cleaning the streets was one of the few jobs they could pretend. This was the garment they had to wear when they swept the streets.

4 more images

We were lucky that our guide managed to organize for us in the Palace of Culture a show by the state troop of popular dances, the Folklore Ensemble "Tirana". That was not scheduled but several of us asked him and he organized it in a couple of hours.

The troop wore the traditional clothing of the various regions of Albania. I am unable to name them.