The dinner for New Year’s Eve is really a long tradition for Albanians. Differently from other European countries who celebrate Christmas in family, for Albanians the New Year's Eve dinner is the most important one.
New Year day in Albanian history
During the dictatorship regime, the Christmas Day, has no meaning, since Enver Hoxha established an atheist state. According to state archive the last Christmas wish, dated back in 1966, in a document which shows a telegram from the Head of Orthodox Church of Albania wishing Christmas to the Head of Albanian Catholic Church. We didn’t celebrate any religion day for more than 40 years. The most festive day of the year was the 31 st of December. The parents would gets some toys for their kids, the shops were full with different foods we couldn’t find other time of the year.
The housewives took one day off to clean the house washing everything from curtains, blankets and carpets. The conversations in those days were all about how people progressed with cleaning buying and cooking. By cleaning and buying some small extras for the house, people were wishing and hoping that the New Year would find them happier and in better living conditions.
It was related also to another tradition on the first days of January, Albanians visited the houses of each other, relatives and neighbors, to wish Happy New Year. In the morning you would visit your relative’s house, in the afternoon or the next day they would come and visit you. It was a competition feeling, who would offer more sweets, drinks, dried and fresh fruits and deserts.
This festive day has to do with more with Food. The food preparation started a week before the New Year with cooking the Bakllava (the traditional desert for New Year).
We recall that atmosphere of preparing for the big night, everyone was running to shops, to buy all food they could, and every family aimed at having a richer meal than previous year. People invited each other, to have more relatives around the table, and to wait the New Year altogether. Albanians have been poor but with a big heart, so no one was alone that day. People were also optimistic and always liked to project the coming year as more prosperous one.
Traditional food
The traditional dish has always been the baked or roasted turkey. People served it in different ways but the most favorable is with “Pershesh” (baked corn cake all mashed). But other areas for example in Gjirokaster prefer ‘meat pie ’, or different lakrors. The people living close to sea or lake, prefered the fish or seafood. But most of them put in the table different kinds of meat, baked or cooked with plenty of side dishes. The table should be full with salads, desserts, drinks, and fruits, even in the families with few members.
People would dine and watch the special TV programs with music and humor that were prepared nationally with actors from each city of Albania. The program lasted after midnight and then the public TV would show an exclusive movie until 2-3 in the morning. There was only one Public TV Channel.
But this tradition is changing. Now families are cooking enough for themselves, serving the dishes they like most, for example sea foods, salads, or cold dishes or new recipes. There are still many families preserving the tradition, which we really like. Nowadays it is trendy to celebrate the New Year in different restaurants, who are offering delicious menus. Even though the prices are still not affordable for the most of Albanians, there are fa,ilies who can and they consider it as an attribute of elite class of society.
Let’s discover some of the offers for the New year Eve in Tirana restaurants:
New Year’s Eve dinner (119 euro.person) Luxury Menu, Finest selections of wines from France and Italy. Best music in Town Elton Deda & Friends Band
The New year Eve Dinner 15.000 Leke/person. A rich menu including the Turkey with Pershesh. Music with singers: Era Rusi, Denisa Xhezo,Arjan Dredhasi & Arianit Hoxha; Animators, Fireworks spectacle at the Terrace of Restaurant
The New Year Dinner 8 500 leke/ person. Traditional dishes, live music, fireworks spectacle
Dajti Express and “Ballkoni I Dajtit” resaturant offer dinner for 9400 leke/ person (for couple is 18800 lekel for kids 4700 leke). The price include the free drive with Cable Car, live music with Valbona Mema and Genti Deda, and a unique atmosphere of fireworks.
The New Year Dinner is 8500 leke/person. It includes all the traditional dishes, Turkey with Pershesh, fish, salads, bakllava etc
New Year Dinner is offered at 13000 per person. Live music with Yllka Kuqi and Band.
The New Year Menu is 100 Euro/ person and includes 10 dishes cooked by the famous master chef Mr. Renato Mekolli. Live music by Alexander Gjoka and band
Daytrips in Tirana |
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| Cave of Pellumbas tour in Tirana |
| Communist Architecture tour in Tirana |
| Old Villas tour in Tirana |
| Tirana - Dajti Mountain Cable Car |
