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Today is Midsummer Day, the history of this ancient pagan holiday

Politiko 2025-03-14 08:18:20

Today is the celebration of the summer day, the history of this ancient pagan holiday. Since ancient times, the temple of March 14, the Summer Day Festival, has been in the city of Elbasan. Otherwise known as the day of the departure of winter, this holiday has already created its tradition not only among the residents of the city of Elbasan, but also in other cities of the country and especially in Tirana.

But the origin of "Summer Day" lies in the shrine of the Fairy of Çermenika, built on the outskirts of the city of Elbasan, who was the goddess of hunting, forests, and all of nature.

According to folklore, this fairy emerged from her shrine on March 14. Inherited from generation to generation, this popular holiday is a day that today identifies the city of Elbasan itself, known in Albania for its special cultural traditions.

But the Summer Festival celebrated in the city known as the 'city in the heart of Albania' is not just for the people of Elbasan. Many people come from all over the country to celebrate the arrival of summer and to enjoy the typical dishes of this area such as ballokum and revani, which on this day, according to the locals, are 'stirred' differently than other times, turkey, walnuts, or fig leaves, which are traditionally given to young children, who are the first to make auspicious visits to the homes of relatives and neighbors.

The first ones show that the night before the Midsummer's Day, people gathered early in their homes to celebrate with their relatives, the epilogue of this holiday. Waking up at dawn, the elderly would open the door of the house early in the morning to show generosity, take the pitcher to fill with fresh water and bring home a bundle of green grass, while the young people fertilized the oranges and olives.

This day's lunch was a rite full of humor and enjoyment for all the people of Elbasan, who usually spent this lunch outdoors, where folk games were organized. In Elbasan, the night of summer is also celebrated, the night before its arrival, with meat, raki, turkey, ballokume, and sweets. On this day, the people of Elbasan wish each other a long and happy life.

Ballokumja, the traditional Summer Day dish

In fact, no one can understand the Summer Day Festival, a traditional pagan holiday celebrated every March 14, without tasting ballokume, a special Elbasan dish.

According to locals, this characteristic dessert cannot be produced with industrial means, but only with primitive processing, where its base is sweet corn flour.

The base of the ballokume is sheep's butter, preferably from sheep raised in the mountainous areas of this district. The secret to its preparation, the elders say, is a 10-liter copper pot, where the dough, which also includes the village eggs, is beaten with a wooden spoon and worked very hard.