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Today is Summer Day, everything you need to know about this special holiday
2026-03-14 10:47:30 / AKTUALITET
March 14 is a special holiday in Albania, which is not celebrated in any other country in the world.
It is called "Summer Day" even though it celebrates the arrival of the Spring season.
This celebration is one of the oldest and most comprehensive in our country, and numerous events are organized everywhere, with Elbasan turning into the "capital" of Albania.
Why is "Summer Day" celebrated?
This holiday is a thousand-year-old pagan celebration, which aims to pay homage to nature, the arrival of the warm seasons, and the revival of life on earth. Since in antiquity the year began with the month of March (referring to the Julian calendar), then as soon as March entered, the arrival of spring was celebrated. Thus, generation after generation, Albanians have passed on the holiday, bringing it to the present day.
As is known, the center of the festivities is Elbasan, where families gather and celebrate together throughout the day, through good food, wine, and, of course, ballokumes. The city is engulfed in festivities, costumes with masks, and decorations that evoke spring. If you have never been to Elbasan for this day, you should definitely do so as soon as possible, as the festive atmosphere will naturally engulf you, and you will enjoy the excellent cuisine that is prepared on all Elbasan tables.
Everyone knows that this day is associated with ballokume, a delicious traditional dessert shaped like the sun, which explains why it is the symbol of the holiday. Ballokume is a large cookie made with wheat or corn flour with a significant sugar content. Preparing it is a real challenge for housewives, who must rigorously respect a sequence of mixing the ingredients that in most cases are combined only with a wooden spoon in a container that tradition requires to be made of copper metal. If you have acquaintances from Elbasan, don't forget to ask them for some ballokume, as only in this way can you understand how the Elbasan housewives have elevated the preparation of this dessert to an art.
Summer
Summer Day was the day of the verojka (or verore). If we refer to the “Dictionary of the Modern Albanian Language” (1980, page 2135), the verojka was a garland prepared with red and white threads that were tied to children’s hands or necks on Summer Day (verojka, verore, from vere). But, verore was also used to surround branches of firs, junipers, laurels or willows. In many cases, wreaths were woven on Summer Day and hung on the doors of houses, to bring luck.
Flower gardens and songs of tradition
Summer Day has no meaning without flowers and songs. The people of Elbasan have long been known as renowned gardeners and singers of the soul. The most characteristic flowers in Elbasan are jasmine, carnation, rose, hyacinth, carnations, etc. Growers take care of the flowers so that they can bloom on Summer Day.
During the night and on Summer's Day, the songs of the master of urban folk music Isuf Myzyri are sung with special passion. Songs such as; "A flowerbed without roses", "What do you want to see", "Better in the forest than in the city", "Like a nightingale in spring", etc., are sung not only by the people of Elbasan, but throughout the Albanian lands.
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