Albania

The traditional life of Theth


I leave Tirana to Theth. I thought it would be a path of roses but suddenly shared van is not going beyond, Let me in front of a hotel and tell me that there is no transport to Theth, that left me to sleep, I bombarded with new information that I need to study, Press to make it me.

The best thing in these cases is to keep calm, Let them know that you need a bit of relax and then do not make any decisions immediately, I feel, I take a drink and not worry, These situations are arranged alone; suddenly tell me that there is transport in 3 hours, but the 30 minutes was already Theth road with a few construction workers. The road is worse than imagined, with space for a single car and stony.

 

The Skanderbeg Albania


I get to Theth, a village between mountains, is paradise, I think this is the closest thing to a vacation I've had in a long time. Strolling down the streets I know Antonio and his family, I was invited to dinner, they shared their Albanian traditional recipes with me and put me to the day in the history of Albania.


They say that the Albanian culture was born in these mountains. It is tradition in the Albanian population to a cap called Qeleshe, with several meanings. It represents half egg shell, It symbolizes the birth of the first man in the world and also represents the sky, with the symbolism of maintaining a permanent contact of the sky with head.

 

The Skanderbeg Albania


In Albania there are unwritten laws, called Kanum, they are spoken laws, respected by its inhabitants. Among them is what in Spain is called "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth". When a family member killed another, the other family has the right to revenge, killing a male of the family rival and so on. To stop these killings male entered into a small fortified Tower and did hermit's life by fear that to kill him, until the two families, with the help of a mediator, they came to some kind of agreement.

 

The Skanderbeg Albania


I have a contact, tomorrow I will help to realize the main objective of my stay in the North of Albania, Discover the traditional life of the villagers, or what's left of it, That's great!. That night I hardly slept.

 

The Skanderbeg Albania


Before my visit to the families that I want to portray must learn some phrases that I will help to break the ice, including one that I liked it very much :
 
Qul millet l'opa?? ( When the cow you ordeñas? )
 
Needless to say that it worked perfectly and we laughed over a good time.

 

The Skanderbeg Albania


I do not remember exactly the number of coffees and Rakia I took. The Rakia is traditional in the Balkans and Albania national liquor, handmade, It is obtained by fermenting and distilling various fruits.

 

The Skanderbeg Albania


They eat what they produce and exchange products including, they are almost self-sufficient.

 

The Skanderbeg Albania


The houses seem to be fortified. Within windows are wider, as the windows of the castles, to protect themselves from the outside.

 

The Skanderbeg Albania


The trip here was worth, I found what I was looking for, Learn, view and portray the few families who still live in traditional way.


You can see all the images to full screen in the section of Photographs.
 

 

The Skanderbeg Albania

The Skanderbeg Albania

The Skanderbeg Albania