INDEPENDENCE DAY 100 YEARS !!
4TH OF JULY !!?? 28TH OF NOVEMBER !!! THE 100TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF ALBANIA FROM TURKEY !!
THIS INDEPENDENCE DAY IS CELEBRATED BY ALL ALBANIANS EVERYWHERE HERE IN THE BALKANS. IT IS NOT JUST FOR ALBANIA. SO THE RED FLAG WITH THE BLACK TWO HEADED EAGLE IS LOVED BY ALL ALBANIANS. OUR MEMBERS TOLD US THAT THE BLUE KOSOVO FLAG IS WHAT AMERICANS WANTED THEM TO HAVE ..BUT THEY WILL ALWAYS LOVE THE RED FLAG WITH THE BLACK EAGLE.
FOR F.H.E. WE HAD A CELEBRATION..WITH FLAGS , BALLOON'S.( I TRIED TO MAKE THEIR FAVORITE TRILEQE ).
.THE ELDERS GAVE A GREAT LESSON AND THEN WE LEARNED ABOUT THE FLAG FROM ONE OF THE ALBANIANS.
THEY ALL STOOD WITH THEIR HAND OVER THEIR HEART AND SANG THE ALBANIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM.
WE LEARNED THAT THE DOUBLE HEADED EAGLE REPRESENTS TWO CHURCHES THE GREEK ORTHODOX AND THE WESTERN ORTHODOX. THEN WHEN TURKEY INVADED AND TOOK OVER THEY FORCED EVERYONE TO THE MUSLIM RELIGION. SOME OLD TIMERS TOLD US THAT EVEN THE BREAD STORES WERE IN THE MOSQUE..FORCING EVERYONE TO GO TO THE MOSQUE FOR FOOD. SO, TODAY THIS AREA IS 70-80% MUSLIM...SOME BELIEVE IT IS TIME TO RETURN TO CHRISTIANITY
OUT OUR WINDOW..OUR BUILDING OWNER PUT IT THERE !!! WHILE WE WERE GONE....
MY FAVORITE PEOPLE AT THE ALBI MARKET!!
WHICH IS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET
OUR GIRLS...OFF TO CELEBRATE !!
VALMIRA, VANESSA , MARIGONA, DONIKA, DONEJTA
WE WALKED UP AND DOWN THE EVER-SO-CROWDED BOULEVARD AND ENJOYED FRESH ROASTED CHESTNUT. (YES, DAL,CHESTNUTS ROASTED ON AN OPEN FIRE!!) THEY ARE VERY TASTY !
EVERY STORE WINDOW, CAR, STREET SIGN ,HOME HAD THEIR FLAG OUT. VENDORS UP AND DOWN THE BOULEVARD WERE SELLING HATS, SHIRTS, BA LOONS.
THERE WAS MUSIC...LIGHTS...CONCERTS, DANCING, FIREWORKS EVERYONE WAS SO EXCITED...OF COURSE EVERYONE WANTED TO GO TO TIRANA, ALBANIA WHERE THE REAL ACTION WAS..
BUT EVERY TOWN BIG AND SMALL HAD CELEBRATIONS. THE ELDERS HAD TO BE IN BY 4 PM..(YOU NEVER KNOW HOW WILD THINGS GET) HOWEVER HERE IN KOSOVO IT WAS FAIRLY CALM. IT SEEMED THERE WERE MORE FIREWORKS ON THURSDAY THAN ON WEDNESDAY..STORES WERE CLOSED AND EVERYONE WORE BLACK AND RED EVERYWHERE.
