A lil culture, Baijram

Memorial to G.W. Bush!!

Women area.

Teuta's nephew dressed in traditional Muslim clothing.

September 9, 2010 was Baijram e Madhe in Albania and much of the former Ottoman Empire whom still practice Islam. The holiday marks the end of fasting for the month of Ramazan. Rubik and Mirdite as a whole are 98% Catholic in a 98% Muslim country, so I travelled to Fushe Kruje to experience the holiday. Alex used to be the volunteer in F.K. but has since been moved to Durres due to issues with the Mayor who is a sack of $h1?. USAID, which is the United States Government, tax paid, aide organization is even going to pull out of the city due to complications with the mayor. Anyways, while in F.K., Alex had a quasi host family situation for a few weeks with a woman who I have written about before. (if you care you can look back two entries) Teuta and her family are practicing Muslims and observed the fast and since I expressed interest in experiencing the ceremony she invited me to celebrate with her family. For those of you who do not know, practicing Muslims strictly fast from sunrise to sunset during the entire month of Ramazan which falls in the summer (Ramadan in non Turkish influenced regions of the world). In Albania, during the entire month you can hear Roma people (gypsies) roam the streets playing drums after sunset and before sunrise to let people know that they can either eat or not eat soon. The community usually gives the neighborhood drummer a tip for his services on the final day. Since the ceremony for Baijram e Madhe starts at sunrise I arrived in F.K. the night before and had dinner at Teuta’s house. This is always an interesting experience. Teuta had to work at her small shop until 8 so Alex and I made her family dinner. I have mentioned before that this is not something that is done be men in Albania. Her family is fairly socially progressive but Çimi, her husband, still likes to give me a hard time. Teuta is a good woman and a riot to hang out with but she can also be negative about her country at times. She has every right to be critical of her country which has made countless mistakes over the years. She also lives in a suburb of the capital city. This means there are many transient people and criminals. Alex and I try our best to keep things positive when we talk about politics and culture in Albania. Alex has even taught her the popular “glass half full” philosophy that some smart and positive person has been saying for decades. Teuta has a very bright daughter and the hope for any parent, especially an economically and socially depressed parent, is for your child to have a better life than you have had. This is a concept that is difficult to explain to Albanians. My people I talk to on public transportation or cafes seem to think that everyone in America has it easy. I always admit things are easier in some ways in America and there are opportunities for advancement, but you for many nothing is given to you and you must keep a positive attitude. I like to tell them that their country is fairly new! This is always cause for arguments. Albanians have one of the oldest cultures in Europe. They are descended from the Illyrians, who are said to be older than the Greeks. I try to explain that although their people have inhabited this part of the world for a hell of a long time, their country is in fact new. The Republic of Albania was created in 1912, I think, after the withdrawal of the Ottomans. The country then experienced a short monarchy, King Zog, and then occupation from the Italians and Germans during WWII. Following the war, the communist party took over and continued to run the country into the ground until 1985 when Dictator for Life Enver Hoxha died. His successor, Alia, over the course of about 6 years allowed more and more freedoms and eventual a second political party was formed and in 1991 the “people’s party” was no longer in office. The country began to develop as a democracy until in 1997 the economy completely collapsed thanks to a country wide ponzi scheme. Much confidence in the new government was lost at this time and has had a difficult time regaining. So, basically the country is young! Albanians love to compare their country to America so when I tell them how people lived when our country was a baby, I hope things are put in perspective. Things here are very similar to times when America was in the same stage of development. Okay, I rambled a lil there, but this is a conversation we always have with Teuta because she loves to say, “you so lucky you born in America, I no, I born in Albania.” So back to the celebration. I slept at Teuta’s house and we woke around 6am and headed down to where the ceremony was being held.

Last year, according to Alex the prayer was held in the city center but his year there is a fairly hilarious construction project in F.K. In 2007, President George W. Bush and the first lady made a trip to Albania and due to its proximity to the airport stopped in Fushe Kruje. This is F.K. claim to fame since all American presidents are worshipped in Albania. The Mayor, in all his wisdom has decided to use the fledgling budget of the city to build a memorial for the event that will feature benches, trees, and a statue of the world’s favorite American leader. Baijram e Madhe was held at a futbol field due to the construction. It was an interesting ceremony. Excluding Nezura, which is a Bektashi holiday (Bektashi is the most popular Muslim sect in Albania, mostly because you can still drink alcohol hahaha) I have never really experienced any live Muslim traditions. I have been to dinners for Jewish holidays, Hindi celebrations, and of course Christian holidays. At the entrance to the park there were of course some beggars, people are especially giving on Muslim holidays, and people with the mosque who were handing out the prayer guide and a fruit. The fruit is a traditional food to officially break the fast. People were also handed bags so they could put there footwear in them before stepping on the ceremonial rugs. Then the men and women were segregated. Men were guided to the front near the Imam and the women were placed with the children in an area farther back. Observers like me just sort of stood in the back. Alex, Teuta, and Teuta’s friend Leta did not stand near me out of respect for the tradition. The prayer took about one hour but started with the Imam, who I am told is a bit extreme (not terrorist extreme but evangelical extreme if you catch my drift) gave a spirited lecture about being a good Muslim, he then led the prayer which consists of standing, bowing, kneeling, and then touching your head to the floor a few times. I just watched.

After the prayer, we were invited to café by one of Teuta’s good friends who I have met several times before. His name is Miku and he and his brothers own a few businesses in town. Really nice guys. It was about 7:30 now and this is the fashion the day kind of went in. After that café, we went to Teuta’s house where Teuta showed us how to make Byrek (a type of phylo pie that you can really put whatever you want in it). Çimi’s dad had passed away recently and it is custom to visit the homes of people who are missing a family member on the first Baijram since so he had a few visitors who we drank café with. We then went to a girl named Natasha’s house. Natasha was in Alex’s Outdoor Ambassador club and was also a youth volunteer for the project last summer. She also just graduated from high school and over the last year her family has become close friends with Alex and in turn me. Her dad is a big fisherman and promised to take me fishing in Rubik. He joked with me that a few months ago he was in Rubik and went around the town asking for me. He said he was surprised that everyone knew who I was but had a different answer on where I was that weekend. Anyways, I gave him my phone number and he is supposed to come up in a few weeks. After café with Natasha, we went back to Teuta’s for lunch. Of course we could not make it the entire 15 minute walk back without having another café, this time at Çimi’s mother’s house. We usually refrain from accepting her requests because she is mean to Teuta, but because she had lost her husband recently, it would have been rude to decline. She lives with two of her daughters and there small kids, I will post here a picture of one of the kids in the traditional holly dress for Muslim men.

After we ate lunch at Teuta’s, we headed back to Rubik. I had planned to meet with my mayor to discuss several projects we need to get a move on but of course, he was M.I.A. Guess I will have to wait till next week, typical.