I’m honored to be here in Gjirokastra during the Festival Folklorik Kombëtar! The town itself is beautiful, and with the added events and visitors, it felt even more full of life.

The entrance fee to castle was waived for the festival, an added bonus! Inside the castle, I saw authentic performances of Albanian traditional dancing, singing, instrumental performances. The evening that I attended was especially crowded because the performances were by local Gjirokastra groups, and the whole town and surrounding villages came out to support!

During the day, there are free cultural workshops that I participated in.

Wood carving

The man and his brother were woodworkers. They showed us how they carve wood. We helped with carving the stem in a leaf design that would be part of a window frame. This is a dying art.

Coffee

The woman described the coffee roasting and making process. Albanians like a very dark roast, other cultures might even consider their roast “burnt.”

Dancing

I learned some dances. This was my favorite part. We all held hands and danced in a line. Here are a few dances that I learned.

I’m so pleased.