After the exciting and interesting day in Kicevo we slept in the motorhome outside the Uskana restaurant. The plan was to roll on the next day, but first we would follow Shefik and have a coffee at his regular place in the morning. You could say that it happened a little more than that ...
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ShareA coffee turned out to be not only coffee, but also raki (plum brandy), beer and burek (a kind of pie with filling - this time with cheese). We weren't alone in the restaurant either, there were many nice friends of Shefik gathered there. But the surprises didn't end there ...
Trying on clothes
Shefik had picked up on my fascination with Albanian festive clothes and secretly called his sister. "Let's go to my sister's house and try on some clothes!" he suddenly announced, and we found ourselves in a small village outside of town.
Many of the houses in the village were newly built (many Albanians in the village have improved their finances by working in Germany, Switzerland or the USA) and the sister's house turned out to be very modern and tastefully decorated. However, the clothes I got to try on were traditional!
Albanian wedding attire
First, I got to try on a traditional Albanian wedding outfit. All parts of the dress were once made by the women at home and although it may not be visible, there is lots of beaded embroidery on the sleeves, headpiece and collar.
The bride not only wore this outfit at the wedding, but throughout the first year of marriage. In general, traditional clothing looked something like this, although the headdress and collar may not have been worn on a daily basis.
Today, of course, people wear modern clothes, so these costumes are only used on occasion. Shefik's sister had many different costumes and insisted that I bring the one I had tried on, so I pocket actually it. Unbelievable!!!
Turkish-style wedding clothes
The traditional Albanian wedding dresses are no longer used, and today most people get married in modern white wedding dresses. However, Turkish-style ceremonial clothing is used from time to time. The embroidery on this costume is also handmade, and you have to shell out quite a few thousand dollars for an outfit like this. Isn't it cool?
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Lennart says:
You could call them surprises'
Keep up the good work!
03 September 2015 - 18:52
Åsa says:
Haha! Nice! But having it for a whole year is perhaps a little too long? Then you would probably get tired of it! Didn't Peter Pan get to try something? / Åsa
03 September 2015 - 19:29
Nilla says:
Gosh, it's fun to try on clothes!!! Imagine how fashion differs between different countries ??? Really understand now had a great day!
Have a good time?
03 September 2015 - 20:30
admin says:
Lennart, yes, right? Thank you very much!
Åsa, it was a bit unfair, wasn't it? 😉 They had no traditional men's clothes unfortunately...
Nilla, it was great fun indeed! An experience!
03 September 2015 - 21:38
BP says:
Oh my God! What a thing! These people seem to be absolutely amazing and incredibly - mrrhhmmm how should I say - different. I mean giving away a traditional wedding dress is to say the least... different.
Unbelievable! You'll probably never get out of there;-)
Oh the first costume would have gone perfectly with your red hair - if you still had it;-)
The modern suit suits you very well, I think!
03 September 2015 - 22:35
Maggan and Ingemar says:
If I was jealous before, I am even more so now 😀.
You've met some really nice people, who also offer themselves.
Fantastic!!! what memories you get with you in the luggage home (luckily they do not weigh so much) 🙂 🙂 .
Now many people will want to go to Albania and Macedonia.
What great clothes. I think we saw a wedding party while travelling through Albania.
They stopped the traffic for the wedding party to arrive and the cars kept honking until the last car had left. A pretty cool sight 🙂
Stay safe on your trip, which will be an incredible memory.
03 September 2015 - 22:42
Mr Steve says:
These are amazing adventures you will be having.
I think the modern festive outfit was a perfect fit for you. Enjoy!
03 September 2015 - 23:09
Ditte says:
What an experience! What adventures and amazing people you have met.
Truly a memory for life! And so incredibly generous to give you this beautiful wedding dress. Really touching!
And you looked very nice in it!
04 September 2015 - 0:56
Marina says:
Maybe it's time to renew the marriage now so you can use the new suit! (Assuming you're already married, otherwise it might be time to do something about that 😉 .
I recognise that extra drink with all sorts of meals, "Rakia" in Bulgaria, supposedly very good for digestion, just so you know 😉.
04 September 2015 - 4:01
Ruth in Virginia says:
Lovely bride!!!!! 🙂 Where did you meet Shafik?
What a wonderful experience! Being open and accepting and
not afraid of what is 'different', gives you a chance to make unforgettable memories.
occasions. I'm sure Shefik's family was as excited about the event as you were.
Imagine if people had more understanding of each other!
04 September 2015 - 4:16
admin says:
BP, haha, we stayed a little longer than expected 😉 Great people and great experience! 🙂
Maggan and Ingemar, weddings seem to be big here, and people get married mainly in the summer. Nice if we can inspire others to go here! 🙂
Steve, yes adventure it really feels like! 🙂
Ditte, truly a memory for life! We will never forget this!
Marina, we got married (in Vietnam) quite a few years ago, but maybe we should renew? 😉 And great, considering all the food we've eaten the last few days, our digestion has probably needed some help 😉.
Ruth in Virginia, we met Shefik and a friend of his at the campsite in Struga (Macedonia) a week ago. They usually live in Malmö and speak Swedish, so they came up to us and thought we should drink some beers together.
04 September 2015 - 7:03
Frankie & Co says:
Wow - what an experience! The joy they gave you reaches all the way to my morning coffee at the laptop and the day starts great 🙂 .
Unforgettable for you must warm something fantastic inside 🙂 Lovely! So exciting to follow you!
04 September 2015 - 7:14
Linnea Edmark says:
I am also a little weak for this with folk costumes and folk music 🙂 So much fun to see another country's traditional clothes! Here it is Lederhosen and Dirndl that apply 😉 Many have modern variants, but that probably also means that the Bavarian traditional clothes are used incredibly often. The clothes you got to try were certainly perhaps for the most festive holidays in life, but more modern and functional variants may also be available?
Greetings from Linnea in Bavaria
04 September 2015 - 9:24
Ama de casa says:
Wow, how cool! And what an amazing gift! I'm completely speechless here...
04 September 2015 - 9:56
admin says:
Frankie & Co, absolutely unforgettable! 🙂
Linnea Edmark, isn't traditional clothing fun? Yes, we got to see traditional clothes for everyday use. The festive clothing was probably used in everyday life as well, but without headgear, etc. Then we got to see clothes made of simpler fabrics that were mainly used by older women.
Ama de casa, we also feel speechless...!!!!
04 September 2015 - 10:44
Marie says:
Wow, super nice, even if you don't really look at home in it. 🙂
05 September 2015 - 13:48
admin says:
Marie, haha, no maybe not totally comfortable... but it was fun! 🙂
05 September 2015 - 21:11