Culture guide
The Albanian culture guide
Language, history, food and the dates that matter. A guide for Albanians everywhere, and for anyone who loves Albania.
36
Letters in the Albanian alphabet, adopted at the Congress of Manastir in 1908
28.11
Flag Day, Albania’s Independence Day since 1912
17.02
Kosovo’s Independence Day since 2008
41,625
Canadians reported Albanian ancestry in the 2021 census
Language and everyday life
Speak it, cook it, wear it
Everyday Albanian phrases
Greetings, family words, table talk and wishes, with simple pronunciation.
The Albanian language in 10 facts
Its own branch of Indo-European, 36 letters and a sentence from 1462.
Albanian food every diaspora kid knows
Byrek, tavë kosi, fërgesë, flija and the desserts that end every visit.
History and symbols
The stories behind the eagle
What the Albanian flag means
Where the red and black flag and the double-headed eagle come from.
Skanderbeg, the national hero
The story of Gjergj Kastrioti and nearly 25 years of resistance.
Besa: the Albanian promise
Keeping your word, and the families who sheltered Jewish refugees.
Mother Teresa (Nënë Tereza)
From Skopje to Kolkata: the life of Saint Teresa of Calcutta.
People, places and music
Albanians everywhere
16 famous Albanians
Dua Lipa, the Belushi brothers, Ismail Kadare, Tie Domi and more.
Places every family should see
UNESCO towns, the Albanian Alps, the Riviera, Prishtina and Prizren.
Albanian music and traditions
Iso-polyphony, the lahuta, the çifteli, valle and the xhubleta.
5 ways to wear your heritage
The eagle, red and black, and the dates that matter.
Celebrations
The dates we mark
The Albanian holidays calendar
Public holidays in Albania and Kosovo, and the dates the diaspora marks.
Flag Day: 28 November
What the day commemorates and how Albanians celebrate it.
Albanian gift guide
The dates worth celebrating, with gift ideas that mean something.