Albania

Oh, poor Albania, bruised from lashes
Who dared push your face in ashes?
Hailed once as a woman of noble birth,
Mother you were called by men of this Earth.
Rich you were, to tell the truth.
With lovely girls and handsome youth,
With lots of cattle, gardens, farms
With Latin rifles and other arms
With men of courage and women of cheer
In all the world you had no peer.
 ***
When guns boomed like the crack of thunder
Albania’s men rushed out of yonder,
And always fought well, till the end came,
And never soiled their name with shame.
When men of Albania pledged to fight,
All of Rumelia shivered with fright,
In fierce battles they fought and died,
With honor is their memory inscribed.
*** 
But now, Albania, you’re a sight of woe
Just like an oak tree brought down low!
All step on you as if you were dead,
And not one kind word to you is said.
Once you dressed well, like a woman high-born,
Today, your fine robes are badly torn,
You’ve lost your name, your faith, too,
And none is to blame for it but you.
 ***
Albanians, you are slaying one another,
In a hundred groups you're split with each other,
Some shout for country, some against sin,
One says I’m Turk, another Latin,
Others Greeks or Slavs profess to be,
Fools! You are all brothers can’t you see?
 ***
Priests and mullahs have made you mute
To keep you split and destitute.
Foreigners sit by your fireplace,
Your wives and sisters they disgrace,
And if money comes knocking on your door
The faith of your fathers you ignore,
You become slaves of alien boors,
Whose race and tongue differ from yours.
 ***
Weep, oh you rifles and you who care
Albanians, like birds, are caught in a snare,
Weep with us, you warriors all around,
For Mother Albania, lying on the ground;
She has no bread or meat to eat,
Nor fire in the hearth, nor light or heat,
Pale of cheek and unrespected,
She lies broken and neglected!
Gather you women, so pretty and spry,
Who know so well to weep and cry.
Come, for poor Albania let us mourn,
For she’s shorn of honor and forlorn,
She’s like a widow whose man is gone,
She’s like a mother without a son!
 ***
Who has the heart to let cruel death,
Take this brave women, panting for breath?
Can we allow aliens to smother
And trample on our cherished Mother?
No, no! Such shame no one can bear,
Such vile conduct all men forswear!
Let warriors die carrying the banner
Before Albania is lost in this manner
 ***
Awake, Albanians, it’s time to rise
And bind yourselves with brotherly ties;
Look not to church or mosque for pietism,
The faith of Albanians is Albanianism!
 ***
From Tivar all the way to Preveze
The sun sends down its light and rays;
It’s our land, the land of our ancestors,
To the death we’ll defend it from predators
Better to die for it like the men of old,
Than to live in shame before the Lord!

The poem "Albania" was written by Vaso Pasha in Albanian (1878) and is beautifuly translated into English by Professor Peter Prifti, USA!

The Cultural Heritage of Albanian Americans

by Professor Peter Prifti

Albanian Americans are one of the smaller ethnic groups in America, concentrated mostly in the northeastern quadrant of the country, but they can be found just about anywhere in the United States.

The culture of Albanian Americans is a blending of the heritage of their forefathers in Albania, and that of mainstream American society. Their distinguishing characteristic is their language, which is called Albanian, said to be the oldest language in the Balkans. Albanian is taught in some schools in America, and published in the form of newspapers, magazines and books. Like other ethnic groups, Albanian parents are eager to transmit their language and cultural heritage to the younger generations, so far with considerable success.

Over the past one hundred years, since they began immigrating to America, Albanian Americans have expressed and cultivated their culture in a variety of ways: by organizing clubs and associations, establishing religious institutions, giving concerts of Albanian folk music and dances, staging plays with Albanian themes, especially comedies, which Albanians are particularly fond of. They have done much also to preserve and popularize their distinctive cuisine, especially their hallmark dish, a kind of pie known as lakror or byrek, baked in a large pizza-size pan.

As for their organizations, three prominent ones are the Albanian Orthodox Church of America, founded in Boston in 1908; the Pan-Albanian Federation of America – VATRA (The Hearth), also founded in Boston, 1912; and the Albanian-American National Organization (AANO), founded in New York, 1946. Their oldest newspaper, Dielli (The Sun), organ of VATRA, will be celebrating its Centennial in 2009.

Speaking of their character, the Albanians have a reputation as a brave, loyal, hospitable and independent people. They are proud of their customs, manners and morals, above all their tradition of warm hospitality to guests. The great romantic poet, Lord Byron, among others, praises them for their character. To be even-handed, however, one should point out that they are also known as a temperamental, headstrong and feuding people. They seem to have a certain relish for controversy and factionalism, as if those were necessary for a meaningful and zestful communal life.

Albanians of America take pride, too, in fellow nationals who have realized the “American Dream” in business, film, television, etc. Among these are actors John and Jim Belushi, producer and director Stan Dragoti; the late Anthony Athanas, proprietor of the renowned Pier 4 Restaurant in Boston, and TV celebrities Regis Philbin and Eliza Dushku (both part-Albanian).

In sum, the Albanians of America are the heirs of an age-old culture, which they prize and strive zealously to retain, thereby adding to the rich, multi-faceted cultural tapestry of the United States of America.

KRUJE

Kruja is just north of Tirana and was the center of the Albanian resistance led by national hero Gjergj Kastrioti (Skenderbeg) against the Ottoman invasion in the 15th century. The castle atop the citadel was used by Skenderbeg as part of a chain of communication running the length of Albania. A beacon lit in the tower could be seen by the garrison at Lezha Castle in the north and in Petrela south of Tirana. The castle overlooks a panoramic view of the Kruje plains extending out to the Adriatic Sea. The Historical Museum was designed by Pranvera Hoxha, daughter of Enver Hoxha and houses maps, displays, murals, and paintings telling the story of Albania's struggle against the Ottomans. Ordinary families still live within the citadel. The Ethnographic Museum displays a typical 19th century home where visitors can see the areas where livestock were kept, olives pressed and tools made or repaired. The reception room for visitors and the family's living room are preserved with traditional furniture and carved wood paneling typical of this region of Albania.

View photos of Kruje

GJIROKASTER

Located in southeastern Albania, Gjirokaster became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2005. It was awarded 'museum-city' status by the Albanian government in 1961 which gave legal protection to its unique architectural heritage. Home to 20th century native sons Enver Hoxha and writer Ismail Kadare, Gjirokaster is characterized by its houses of whitewashed stone and grey slate roofs built into the hillside. The city began to spread downhill from its castle in the 13th century. Later in the 15th century it was captured by the Ottomans and flourished under its new rulers as a major trading center and administrative headquarters of the province (sancak) spanning what is now central and southern Albania. By the 17th century the city had 2000 houses and a bazaar, which were later destroyed by fire. The city's large traditional houses seen today were built in the early 1800s and the shops and other buildings date from the early 20th century. The castle still broods on its hill overlooking the whole city, the river valley and the Lunxheria mountain range. Unlike Kruje and Berat the citadel is uninhabited today but was used as a garrison and a prison as recently as the 1970s. Within the walls of the castle is a clock tower and plateau taken up by staging for the International Festival of Folk Music, which takes place there every four years (the last was in 2004).

View photos of Gjirokaster

BERAT

Berat is located in south central Albania and is one of the oldest cities in Albania. Berat has been established since the Bronze Age 4000 years ago. The first traces of building on the citadel date from the late 4th century B.C. by the Illyrian tribe known as the Dassaretes. It became part of Macedonia until the Roman conquests in 200 B.C. After Roman rule Berat was part of the Byzantine Empire until its gradual collapse in the 13th century. Although today Berat doesn't seem strategically located, before roads were built around the southern ranges Berat stood at the point where trading routes from the south met the lowland plain making control over Berat key to controlling and influencing trading networks. As a result Berat was attacked, besieged, occupied and re-occupied in the turbulent years following the decline of the Byzantine Empire. The Ottomans captured the castle and occupied the city in 1417. During Ottoman rule the Christians lived either in the citadel itself or on the other side of the river in Gorica. The citadel dominates Berat and offers panoramic views of the city below and the mountains across the river. The view of its white tiled roof houses climbing up the hillside to the citadel is one of the best-known images in Albania. The citadel includes the Church of St Mary built in 1797 and the Onufri Museum housing the work of Onufri, one of the greatest of a group of Albanian icon painters of the 16th and 17th centuries. Also within the castle walls are many medieval churches, beautiful mosques and an excellent Ethnographic Museum providing an informative glimpse of 19th century life in Berat. The city's ancient churches and mosques were protected from urban development when Berat was designated a 'museum-city' by the Albanian government in 1976.

View photos of Berat