Our guest house host, Joseph, doesn’t speak much English, but he gave us an incredible breakfast.
Joseph told us to close the doors to keep the cats out. He had to go to work at the winery.
We left for a city tour. It is raining.
Everyone gets married in August. Albanians vacation in August and come home from living abroad to visit family.
Our guide said his high school class had 23 students and only four remain in Berat.
The Orthodox wear their wedding ring on the right hand. The birth rate is low in Albania so the government gives a financial incentive to have children. He is expecting a daughter in July!!!
Berat, the oldest city in Albania, was designated as a UNESCO site 16 years ago.
Berat was the commercial and administrative center during Ottoman rule in this area. Once a city was conquered, a mosque was built … and near the mosque, a bazaar was developed for trade.
Antipatria was its original name meaning Important. Perhaps the site of the ancient city Antipater. The word Berat comes from the word Belgrade which means White City. Sometimes it was referred to as the Roman Belgrade. And with the Albanian language, it became Berat … or something like that!! Maybe we just don’t know!
The population of Berat is 60,000. Last year they had a million visitors!!! The government has given money to Albanians who are living elsewhere to return to their native homes and update them.
The climate is considered Mediterranean so olives and grapes are grown here. The wines produced here have won international wine prizes.
Of the Christian population, Catholics are predominant in the north of Albania and Orthodox are predominant in the south.
Even though one can be sad that Albania was declared an atheist country, today they have great freedom to worship as they please.
In some ways, this might be a fresh start to how man relates to God/Allah and to purge all traditions of manmade religions.
A positive is that they can question traditions:
- Orthodox: Why aren’t there any chairs? How is God honored by my standing? (They added chairs to Saint Demetrius Cathedral because otherwise people wouldn’t come)
- Muslim: Why do I have to pray on my knees five times a day facing a certain direction? Wouldn’t Allah hear my prayers whenever and wherever?
- Muslim man: Why would Allah care if I drink Rakia which I have been doing daily for years?
- Muslim woman: Why does Allah care if my hair is seen by people?
- Catholic: How is Christ glorified by saying Hail Mary?
Therefore many who declare a “religion” are not practicing in the traditional outward sense.
Because of this unique vantage point a Muslim can marry an Orthodox. One needs to remember that parents lived during the time of no God. Not even religious names were allowed to be given to children. No Muhammad, no James. Only names that were about nature, etc
From illricum.org:
In 1991 massive protests began in Albania mostly due to the great economic depression, and communism fell. Missionaries were starting to come into Albania, and they saw very spiritually hungry people who were filled with questions about God. With a culturally Muslim background and with fresh hearts planted and watered with the gospel, God started rebuilding his church in Albania.
Albanian elections just happened on May 11 and the makeup of parliament must be 50%men/50% women by law. That is so forward thinking as populations are roughly 50/50 so our governing body should mirror that.
Even with the equal numbers, it is difficult for women to make themselves heard, according to this study: https://balkaninsight.com/2024/05/31/more-numerous-but-voiceless-study-exposes-gender-inequality-in-albania-municipal-councils/
Sidenote: Can you imagine how different the USA Congress and the USA would look if we had equal representation in America? It has historically always been all men because only men were allowed to vote and therefore run for office in the past. Our majority man Congress is based on history not reality. How long will it take to change?
I read a complelling article about Jamie Lee Curtis which really changed my thinking when it comes to voting: Read an excerpt here:
I understand that there are people who disagree with trying to achieve gender parity; I know that they believe that voters should just pick a candidate based on their qualifications, and the issues to which you connect and about which you care. My belief, however, is that women, as a gender, see things a little differently. Partly that is because most women — 86 percent — are or will become mothers, and mothers care about the environment that their children are growing up in, about the education that their children are going to get, about the reproductive right of women, and about violence and gun control. These are all areas that affect children, and in turn, affect their mothers. It makes sense to me that more women in power are going to work harder to enact legislation that is more focused on these areas.
Therefore, I need to vote for women candidates even if they are perceived as under qualified (or are they when it comes to things that matter to me?)
These three are different verses to the same end and are true in much of life:
- Things won’t change until things change.
- Nothing changes unless something changes.
- You can’t affect change until you affect change.
This afternoon we hiked up to the Berat Castle. It was a 30 minute uphill climb!
Once inside, we were amazed to see a whole community that lives within the city walls. We even saw a doctor’s office!
It’s one of the few castles in Europe still inhabited today — around 100 families live within its walls.
Homemade Food Lili
For us Lili was the star of the show as he interacted with the guests, generously using the words “please” and “thank you” with great charm.
His son delivers the food and buses the tables. He then drives to Tirana to school at 10pm every night. He returns to Lili the next day. It is easier in the summers when there is no school!
with a magnet!!
Leave a Reply