TIRANA, Oct 4 /ATA/ Xhubleta, one of the most distinctive symbols of Albanian cultural heritage, has now been featured on a new postage stamp.
Prime Minister Edi Rama said the new philatelic issue by Albanian Post seeks to highlight the traditional garment’s cultural significance, history and symbolism.
“Xhubleta, this precious part of our cultural heritage, has now been commemorated on a postage stamp, bringing its symbolism, beauty and history closer to us,” Rama said.
Preserved for centuries in the northern Albanian highlands, xhubleta is one of the earliest and most distinctive expressions of Albanian folk culture.
Its distinctive shape, colours, ornaments and symbols carry the memory and worldview of the community that passed it down from generation to generation.
Every element of the xhubleta requires knowledge, craftsmanship and time. Technique and symbolism come together to create not merely a garment, but a powerful symbol of identity.
In the Marubi photographs, the xhubleta remains a testament to a particular era, a place and the women who wore it with dignity. The photographs preserve not only its appearance, but also the history of a world that continues to speak to us today.
In 2022, the traditional craftsmanship and knowledge behind the xhubleta were added to UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding.
The international recognition is both a source of pride and a responsibility to preserve this heritage, pass the knowledge on to future generations and keep the tradition alive.
With Albanian Post’s new philatelic issue, the image of the xhubleta has been turned into a lasting record of its time and a symbol of Albanian cultural identity — moving from photograph to postage stamp, and from national memory to the world stage.
/m.m/j.p/sm/
