Albanian weddings have always been a unique celebration! Lately, many Albanian wedding traditions have been forgotten, changed, or modernized. We can easily say that the way weddings used to be celebrated 50 years ago is different from today’s methods.
It’s possible that today’s generations do not know how a wedding was once celebrated in detail and some of the characteristics of an Albanian wedding. That’s why below we mention some of the traditions compared with nowadays.
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Duration of the celebration of a wedding then and now.
According to Albanian custom, the wedding lasted five days. It started with the preparation of the ‘kulaçi i dasmës’. The groom’s family used to celebrate on Friday and Saturday. Saturday was the wedding night. Sunday was the day of the wedding and the ceremony of picking the bride by the groom’s family. Monday was always known as ‘Dita e grave’ or ‘Women’s Day. The family and friends women used to sing and dance all day long.
On the other hand, nowadays, only the wedding day is held during an Albanian wedding—the ceremony of picking up the bride and the big party in the evening.
Albanian Weddings – Preparations of the wedding then and today.
While once Albanian weddings were held in homes and yards, now they are mainly relocated to bars and restaurants. This makes wedding preparations then and today very different. Wedding organizers once took care of adapting the houses for the celebration. Albanian women cooked on their own in a part of the yard. Cleaning took many days as well. With this being said, today’s organization within the bar has become much faster and simpler!
Bridal dresses and the preparations of the bride.
Bridal dresses were essential to the wedding and the girls’ youth. They mainly were handicrafts. The girls work, some of them themselves and some by their mothers or other women.
On each day of the wedding, the bride wore a different costume. On the other hand, nowadays, Albanian brides wear less traditional dresses. They wear on their wedding day the white wedding dress that is worn on the wedding day in most countries of the world.
The ceremony of picking up the bride in Albanian Weddings.
Once upon a time, the ceremony of picking up the bride was one of the essential parts of the Albanian wedding. In earlier times, the bride traveled with chariots and horses. Later krushqit, as they are known, (the groom’s family) started picking up brides by car as well. The string of cars of the groom’s family departed from the groom’s house to the bride’s house. Both families meet and congratulate each other, and the bride, greeting the family, leaves for the husband’s house. The ceremony of picking up the bride still happens at some weddings, even today. This ceremony is always accompanied by song and dance.
Albanian Brides Cry!
Weddings are an emotional rollercoaster, which is no exception at Albanian weddings. The bride leaving her family’s home en route to the new chapter in her life is a moving moment. Albanian bride hare tears of sadness and joy with her family and friends the night before meeting her groom. This was a special way of saying ‘Goodbye’ to the single life.
If you are Albanian or marrying an Albanian, you should eat bread and honey on your wedding day!
Yes, you heard it right! This is an old & sweet Albanian Wedding tradition! The groom’s mother stands at the house door waiting for the bride to give her honey and bread to eat. This Albanian wedding tradition is performed to wish the relationship to be sweet as honey.
Did you know?
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