Tirana: Promotion of the project “Traditional Costumes of the Serbian National Minority”

With the support of the Committee for National Minorities of the Republic of Albania, the project “Traditional Costumes of the Serbian National Minority” was presented in Tirana, showcasing the community of Serbs living in Albania. The president of the committee, Konstadina Bezhani, expressed her satisfaction with the presented work, emphasizing its goal to preserve the culture, traditions, and identity of the Serbian people, in a statement to Kosovo Online.

“Today, I feel very good to be here among all these wonderful people who strive daily to preserve the customs and traditions of the minority they represent. We are also very pleased with the Law on Minorities, which has enabled us to allocate a special fund for minorities in the state budget to preserve their identity. The best and most beautiful part of any project is its completion, the final product. We will always contribute to preserving the customs, traditions, and attire of minorities to safeguard their values and identity, all nine minorities. Today is the day of the Serbian minority, and we have succeeded. In the years to come, we are confident we will do even more to preserve the customs and traditions of all nine minorities living in Albania,” Bezhani emphasized.

Serbian traditional attire represents a valuable part of cultural heritage, revealing the story of the past, traditions, and identity of the people living in Albania. Once everyday clothing, it served as a primary marker of ethnic identity, distinguishing Serbs from other nations, said Eni Jakoja Brajovic, a representative of the Serbian national minority in the Committee for National Minorities of the Republic of Albania.

“Today’s project contributes not only to the preservation of the traditional attire of the Serbian national minority in Albania but also to fostering mutual understanding, respect, and cooperation among the diverse peoples living in this country. As a representative of the Serbian minority in the CPM (Committee for the Protection of Minorities), I firmly believe and promise to provide unconditional support to the minority I represent and the role it will have in Albanian society,” said Brajovic.

Each region inhabited by Serbs throughout history has been characterized by unique traditional attire, noted Bledar Kuka, the author of the project and a journalist and correspondent from Albania, speaking to Kosovo Online.

“This is a project I have been thinking about for a long time. Through my work as a translator for the Serbian language at Albanian Radio and Television, I have had significant contact with the Serbian national minority, which helped me understand the love they have for their people, traditions, and history. One of the main ways to express the history or traditions of a nation is through traditional clothing, as well as through songs and legends. In this case, it’s about clothing, which is tangible and challenging because each minority has something unique, its own attire. In Albania, we have two significant Serbian minority communities: one in the north, in the Shkodra district, and the other in the south, in Libofsha in Fier,” Kuka explained.

The author points out that the traditional attire of Serbs living in Albania differs in styles and details. Each region where the Serbian national minority lives has its specificities and styles of clothing. Northern Albania, in Shkodra, Vraka, and Omaraj, where the majority of the Serbian Orthodox minority lives, is known for richly decorated garments embroidered with floral and plant motifs. Meanwhile, in the Fier region, in Ret Libofsha, where Serbian Muslims reside, the attire is characterized by a simpler style. For men, this includes traditional trousers (chakshiri) and a fez, while women wear loose trousers (dimije) and scarves adorned with gold coins.