An Ancient Tradition

An ancient tradition in the district of Kavaja is filigree work, silver and copper. One of the special activities is the production of silver or copper filigree jewelry. Among the most characteristic products of the region are also those of decorative wood carving, especially colorful pipes, gourds and decorative plates.

Embroidery has been a very widespread and elaborate craft in the territory of Kavaja. The characteristic folk costumes are decorated with fine embroidery in silk, gold and silver. Furthermore, a very present craft among craftsmen has been and remains tin-working.

Glass processing and decoration

Another department with a name in Kavaja was that of “Glass processing and decoration”, where many girls from the area were employed in the decoration sector, to whose craftsmanship and fine taste poems and songs have been dedicated. they are part of the memory and intangible spiritual heritage of the area.

In the past, in the City Market, under the Clock Tower, which was full of small shops of handicrafts and local products, you could hear the sound of the hammer of the tinsmiths, falling on the vats, the zepsis or the large cauldrons. little rakia that the ustallars carefully worked on the kavajas. Fortunately, this is a craft that still exists and is already practiced in the suburbs of the Sallbeg neighborhood along Egnatiaku street. In the shops along the road, you can also see kushi or other interesting objects made of aluminum, including brandy barrels, which is a characteristic drink in Albania and is traditionally produced with these specific objects.

A special experience is to see directly in the workshop the production process of these boilers. And all copper and aluminum objects. Also, decorative objects made of copper and aluminum are still produced by passionate artists and artisans who have not given up this passion and the belief that one day through the development of tourism they will be able to offer the special works as original souvenirs for tourists.

Southern Gate

Kavaja is also known as a “Southern Gate” of entry into Central Albania, and represents a combination between tradition and the new. A station known in history on the Egnatia road which connected the west with the east. A point that carries the historical character of the area is the Asparagus location, near the river Shkumbin and Bashtova, where the camps of Caesar’s and Pompeii’s armies were located.

Further, the final battle took place south of Durrës somewhere near the Rock of Kavaja, where Pompey’s army broke it to Caesar, taking part of it captive. There are theses and assumptions that the toponym Mali i Robi has its origin precisely from this ancient historical fact.

In Kavaja, the history of craftsmanship is related to prehistory. From the Bronze Age to the ancient Illyrian civilization, decorative and figurative art extended to Illyrian crafts. Painted ceramics testify to the fine artistic taste of Illyrian artisans.

Kavaja as part of Central Albania has many ethnographic characteristics similar to Tirana, Elbasan or Durres, in folklore, dialect and musical creations, dances, costume design and material culture.

From this heritage, the beautiful folk clothing can be singled out, where the men’s costume consisted of trousers or trousers, a white shirt, a red embroidered vest or a black jacket, a woolen belt, etc. The men wore white caps on their heads.

While women were generally dressed in white embroidered dimi, shirt and waistcoat over them. On the head women wore a scarf or a small cap decorated with embroidery and decorated with coins.

Albania is the country of an ancient culture, which is evidenced not only by the numerous archeological discoveries but also by the great ethnographic wealth, which is alive among our people. Clothing is a valuable material to document its economic development, the scale of culture, artistic power as well as the characteristics of daily life.

The Albanian woman for centuries managed to very beautifully combine her handiwork, shape and color, which are strongly related to imagination and intuition. Just like the song, the clothing also played its role as an expression of status, or even emotions such as joy, sadness, love, etc. We will focus especially on Central Albania, where the area of Kavaja is mainly included, where we find objects of daily use, folk costumes, clothing, dishes, furniture, work tools, etc.

Categories of Textile works

In textile works, we have two categories 1. Peasant costumes, the motifs of which are characterized by geometric motifs, while in the case of 2. City costumes, there are often motifs expressed with vegetal or zoomorphic forms. The difference between the two categories is also made by the combination of colors and the technique of textile work, when in the first case the work is done by means of embroidery and in the second case they have a fine weave and more delicate work.

Handicrafts

In continuation of handicrafts with knitting or weaving, i.e. textile works, we mention tapestries, for which the area of Kavaja stands out. The materials used for bedding were also related to the economic resources of the villages, but also from the climatic conditions, where the cold was not like in the mountainous areas, which mainly use wool as material for bedding.

Plant products

Lowland and coastal areas also used materials from plant products such as flax and juniper. With the development came the exchange of goods between the plains and the mountains, especially during the 19th century, where we see the use of wool and hemp in the plain areas, and conversely the use of flax and hemp in the deep mountain areas.

Woolen bedding is almost gone. With even greater economic development and the beginning of industrialization, the manufacture of cotton thread bedding came into widespread use. After the liberation, in some cities (Tirana, Korçë, Kukës, Berat) but also in Kavaja, handicraft cooperatives were created for “Wool Work”, where rugs had a separate section. The production of bedding not only met the country’s needs, but bedding became an extremely important export item.

Starting from the agricultural production of this area, with the planted lands, with a variety of products, mainly fruit trees such as figs, peaches, pomegranates, tangerines, oranges, medlars, persimmons, vineyards, walnuts, vineyards with grapes, olives and crops others such as fields with alfalfa, medicinal plants, etc., which is directly related to the climatic conditions and its geographical position, we can say that gastronomy occupies an important place in the life of the community and also of tourists.

Organic Products

The products are organic based on the agricultural crops of the area. There are also traditional agricultural economies such as stables, breeding of small and large cattle, etc., and a farm for the cultivation of snails and a horse farm.

Kavaja’s yogurt

The area of Kavaja is also known for the production of yogurt. Since this area had a very developed pottery, the use of clay vessels affects the quality of yogurt for consumption. Here lies the uniqueness, as these vessels, being porous, made of clay, a natural material, managed to filter the water and the final product was very tasty. It can be seen as an example of sustainable development and environmental protection.

Artisan wine

Cuisine and wine production have marked other added values of the material and non-material culture of the area. Artisan wine production in homes for domestic consumption prevails in the territory of the Kavaja district, there is also the “Belba” winery, which produces some high-quality wines.

Kavaja cuisine includes the typical flavors of the tradition of Central Albania, while the restaurant offer is a typical example of the interweaving and coexistence between the Orient and the Occident, with restaurants offering both traditional and foreign menus.

Typical Kavaja cuisine includes lamb dishes. Veal, bird and turkey, as well as clay pot, chervish, fargesa, qeshkek and various pies. Kavaja is known as one of the cities that masterfully cooks the milk pie, which was usually prepared for big celebrations.

It should be emphasized that the majority of the inhabitants of the cities of Kavaje and Rrogozhinë as well as the surrounding villages belong to the Muslim faith, therefore the main holidays of the Muslim calendar have a great importance in the lives and everyday life of the inhabitants of these communities.

As well as the largest number of old and modern religious buildings (mosques and mosques) belong precisely to the Muslim religion. However, it should be underlined the fact that, as in the rest of our country, there are also other religious communities, smaller in number, such as Catholic Christians, Orthodox, Evangelicals, Protestants, etc. Religious coexistence in the entire above-mentioned area, as well as in the entire Albanian territory, is a fact and value carried over the centuries.

Festa e Shënepremtes

This holiday is celebrated 3 days after Easter, when all the locals, regardless of religious belief, go out for a picnic in the hills of Çeta, and wish each other regardless of the religious character of the holiday, for the celebration of the beginning of Spring with abundance and harmony.

Dita e Plisave

This is a pagan holiday whose origin is not clear, but it has been preserved and passed down from generation to generation even during the time of communism and is still celebrated today. Two weeks before March 14 or Summer’s Day, which during the time of Communism was known only in Elbasan and Kavaje, the children went out every evening and sang the Song of Llaxoreve at the doors of the houses, which was a song that wished good luck and prosperity for the house of Sisomo. for the members of the family, mainly the boys, wishing according to the occasion for a good military service, an unforgettable wedding, white luck and a beautiful bride.

On the evening of March 13, they hung an olive branch on the door for good luck, and mothers tied it to the hands of summer children for good luck and so that the sun would not darken them. It was a two-color thread of red and white, which was removed after two weeks when April arrived. The next day, early in the morning, the children who had been singing for two weeks came out and distributed plisa, which were small balls of clay, filled with seasonal flowers, such as violets, marigolds or plum blossoms. Pleats symbolized the arrival of spring, the rebirth of everything and the beginning of a new season.