Albanian History

What is the culture of Albania and my families history?

By: Kristy Papaj

Location • Southeastern Europe• Bordered by Greece, Macedonia, Italy, Yugoslavia

(Kosovo)• Borders the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea• 60% of Albanians live in the Balkans, a mountainous

area along the southern region

Government/ Capital • Albania is a Parliamentary Democracy with a transitional economy• The capital is Tirana which is also known as the financial capital, and has a

free market. • Albania has feared a communist uprising since World War II.

Flag • Albania’s flag is red, with a double headed eagle• Albanians are called “sons of the eagle”, an expression that represents strength,

freedom, courage, heroism, and power, as Albanians had fought for independence against the Ottoman Empire and Turks

Food • Popular foods are rice,

beans, yogurt, bread, cheese, lamb, and the diet is very meat-oriented.

• Albanians are known to cook in order to “feed an army”, as the expression goes.

• Animals are slaughtered and roasted on holidays.

• A classic dessert is a custard dish.

• The takeover of communism during World War II drastically damaged Albanian agriculture.

• Burek is a Albania pizza (which I have actually had!)

Industry

• Albania’s largest industry is mining• The biggest mineral imported and exported is chromate.• The mining industry has evolved into private companies owned by the state.• Supervision and administration jobs have been instrumental in keeping safe zones and

companies running. • Albania has since implemented mining licenses.

Weaknesses

• Albania is still one of the poorest countries in the world today, primarily due to inadequate technology, energy and water production.

Genders

• Women are seen as being second class to men• Albanians still partake in the idea of arranged marriages, to this day

Weddings• Weddings are split into two different parts. For the morning ceremony and

wedding party, the girl’s family attends. For the night ceremony and wedding party, the guy’s family attends.

• A girl cannot dance or eat, until she is told to or is allowed. She must stand on the front stage, in front of a chair.

My family In interviewing my father, I discovered that my grandfather was part of the

National Rebel’s Army. He had escorted people through the mountains to freedom in Yugoslavia, during World War II, when communism on the rise in Albania. My grandfather’s brother had also been involved in the Army with him. The time had come when people had begun to spread the word on what exactly the rebels were doing, and at one point, soldiers were patrolling the borders, waiting for the men to come across with people. My grandfather’s family would not leave, and that night, my grandfather had to leave without his brother because there was no time left. He had lost his best friend and brother at the age of seventeen because he had been captured by the soldiers.

Continued…• My grandfather married my grandmother at the age of eighteen. When

my father reached the age of six, the family had fled to Italy for a year; and at the age of seven, my father’s family immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island, to begin new lives.

Continued….• To this day, I still have family living in Albania. One of my grandfather’s

sisters lives there, and two of my grandmother’s siblings live there also. From there, I have multiple cousins that reside in Albania.

Bigger Picture• Many people know little to nothing about Albania, and few can even

locate the country on a map. For this project, I wanted to be able to teach people about a culture that has been a part of my life for years. In addition, I wanted to learn about my family’s history, as it has had greatly influenced me and has played a crucial role in shaping me to become the person that I am today.