Albanian Christmas customs

ALBANIAN CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS

In Albania it is customary to make baklavas (a sweet made from thin sheets of pastry drenched in syrup and sprinkled with crushed walnuts) for New Year and to eat it on New Year’s Eve, so that the coming year will be sweet. People also prepare various other sweets and barbecued meat serves as a main course.

Another New Year’s tradition is the exchanging of gifts before the coming of the New Year. An old story says that, if we give someone a present when the New Year has already come in, then the New Year will deprive us of the good things in life.

In the past, Albanians hid a coin in the baklavas for luck. Nowadays, however, they put it in a New Year’s cake. In addition, the children sing carols and houses are decorated with a tree, as in all the countries in the Balkans. Finally, it is customary to go and visit relations, even those who live far away, to wish them a Happy New Year and to raise glasses together in a toast.