The Albanians first appear in the historical record in
Byzantine sources of the late-11th century. At this point, they are already
fully Christianised. Christianity was later overtaken by Islam during the
centuries of Ottoman rule. After independence (1912) from the Ottoman Empire,
the Albanian republican, monarchic and later Communist regimes followed a
systematic policy of separating religion from official functions and cultural
life. Albania never had an official state religion either as a republic or as a
kingdom. In the 20th century, the clergy of all faiths was weakened under the
monarchy, and ultimately eradicated during the 1940s and 1950s, under the state
policy of obliterating all organized religion from Albanian territories.
The Communist regime that took control of Albania after
World War II persecuted and suppressed religious observance and institutions
and entirely banned religion to the point where Albania was officially declared
to be the world's first atheist state. Religious freedom has returned to
Albania since the regime's change in 1992. Albanian Muslim populations are
found throughout the country whereas Orthodox Christians are concentrated in
the south and Roman Catholics are found in the north of the country.
Despite the presence of the main monotheist religions in
Albania, many important Pagan days and rituals are celebrated and practiced by
Albanians. 14 March is a Pagan day, called "The summer day". It is
massively celebrated in the city of Elbasan and in Tirana.
Albanian folk music falls into three stylistic groups, with
other important music areas around Shkodër and Tirana; the major groupings are
the Ghegs of the north and southern Labs and Tosks. The northern and southern
traditions are contrasted by the "rugged and heroic" tone of the
north and the "relaxed" form of the south.
Albanian was proven to be an Indo-European language in 1854
by the German philologist Franz Bopp. The Albanian language comprises its own
branch of the Indo-European language family.
Before the establishment of the People's Republic, Albania's
illiteracy rate was as high as 85%. Schools were scarce between World War I and
World War II. When the People's Republic was established in 1945, the Party
gave high priority to the wiping out of illiteracy. As part of a vast social
campaign, anyone between the ages of 12 and 40 who could not read or write was
mandated to attend classes to learn. By 1955, illiteracy was virtually
eliminated among Albania's adult population. Today the overall literacy rate in
Albania is 98.7%, the male literacy rate is 99.2% and female literacy rate is
98.3%.
Football is the most popular Sport in Albania, both at a
participatory and spectator level. The Sport is governed by the Football
Association of Albania created in 1930, member of FIFA and a founding member of
UEFA. Other sports played include Basketball, Volleyball, Tennis, Swimming,
Rugby union, and Gymnastics.
The cuisine of Albania – as with most Mediterranean and
Balkan nations – is strongly influenced by its long history. At different
times, the territory which is now Albania has been claimed or occupied by
Greece, Serbia, Italy and the Ottoman Turks and each group has left its mark on
Albanian cuisine. The main meal of Albanians is the midday meal, which is
usually accompanied by a salad of fresh vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers,
green peppers and olives with olive oil, vinegar and salt. It also includes a
main dish of vegetables and meat. Seafood specialties are also common in the
coastal cities of Durrës, Sarandë and Vlorë. In high altitude localities,
smoked meat and pickled preserves are common.
