Under conductor Armand Broshka, the Symphony Orchestra brought to the public a rich artistic program, with pieces by great composers such as Bizet, Johann Strauss, Brahms, Dvořák, Mascagni, Verdi and Gruber, creating a warm and festive atmosphere in the heart of the capital.

The audience enjoyed the brilliant performances of soprano Eva Golemi, baritone Armando Likaj, as well as soloists Edmea Krasniqi (violin), Albana Kola (violin) and Igert Zeqiri (cello), while Ronald Gjura was the artistic director.

Attending the festive evening were citizens and foreign visitors, who experienced a Christmas with selected pieces of music in the heart of Tirana. /e.i/a.f/p.s./

“This holy day raises in us hope and faith that the future will be better with peace, solidarity and love,” said Begaj among other things.

“I convey to all Christian believers the warmest Christmas greetings from the Church of St. Anthony in Laç, a blessed place, where thousands of believers of all religions go on pilgrimage.

Then, the Head of State made special visits to the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania and to the Evangelical Brotherhood of Albania in Tirana.

After meeting with His Beatitude Joani, Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and all of Albania, the president conveyed messages of respect for each other and care for the people in need.

The Head of State also congratulated the evangelical believers, expressing that the blessings of this day be with them and that happiness enters every door.

“Christmas brings us more than any other period of the year the magic and love of Christ. May this Christmas be filled with peace and beautiful moments shared with your family and the loved ones!”, said Begaj.

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He expressed his wishes at the headquarters of the Holy Synod of the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania in Tirana where he met with Archbishop Joan.

Berisha wished to all Albanians to celebrate this Christmas with faith and hope.

“I came to express my congratulations, my high estimation for the Archbishop of the Autocephalous Albanian Church, his collaborators, the Orthodox believers in Albania and wherever they are. This is a big day not only in the history of Christianity, but also in the history of world civilization and Western civilization, in particular”, Berisha said to reporters after the meeting with Archbishop Joan.

“I wish every Albanian to celebrate this day with faith and hope for a better Christmas next year. Merry Christmas!”, Berisha said. /m.q/j.p/p.s./

In his congratulatory message, the head of government published an image taken from the frontispiece of Pjetër Bogdani’s monumental work, “Band of the Prophets”.

Cuneus Prophetarum (The Band of the Prophets) is a philosophical, theological and scientific treatise written by Pjetër Bogdani, an Albanian philosopher, originally published in Padua in 1685 in Albanian and Latin. It is considered to be the most prominent work of early Albanian literature.

Christian believers, Catholics and Orthodox, celebrate Christmas, the day marked in the calendar of religious holidays, the day of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Catholics held mass at midnight, while Orthodox believers gather today for mass to give way later on to family celebrations. /m.q/j.p/p.s./

Archbishop of Tirana, Durrës and all Albania, His Beatitude Ioani said the morning mass.

The numerous believers who crowded the Cathedral received messages of hope on the day of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Archbishop Ioani said that, “Christmas is like a ray of hope, comfort and peace”.

Archbishop Ioani emphasized that now, more than ever, the world needs the light of Christ.

“The light of Christ is necessary because a life without the presence of God becomes miserable, turns into a life without love, without joy, without light: a life in darkness,” he said.

The Archbishop added that, “On this day we have to purify our hearts from all evil and fill them with love and humility towards all people, especially towards those who are in need – in poverty, in illness, in despair and in loneliness,” he concluded. /m.q/j.p/p.s./

Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Tirana-Durrës, Don Arjan Dodaj said the holy mass.

“We walk with joy and hope in the face of every human disappointment because for us the Saviour has been born. Jesus is our Lord, but also our brother. The readings of this night help us to understand that Christmas is not simply the promise of a commemoration of a past event. Today, many people experience darkness, as we hear and see in the war”, said Archbishop Arjan Dodaj.

Attending the mass were many Catholic believers, who awaited the birth of Jesus at midnight, amidst prayers.

Midnight masses were also held in other Catholic churches, spread across the country’s 6 dioceses. /k.s/j.p/p.s./

Berisha congratulated Albanian believers who celebrate Feast of the Nativity, the birth of Jesus Christ, describing him as a figure who, with his teachings and instructions, has contributed to the values ​​of Western civilization and all of humanity.

He also expressed gratitude for the clergy of the Christian faith, appreciating their role in preserving and promoting spiritual and moral values.

In conclusion, Berisha expressed his hope that the coming Christmas will be celebrated in freedom, dignity, hope and faith in the future, emphasizing the significance of a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere for all citizens. /gj.m/a.f/p.s./

“The bright and cheerful festival of Christmas is a ray of hope, consolation and peace”, said His Beatitude Joani, inviting the believers to share with others the light of Christ which only grows through sharing.

“Now, more than ever, what the world truly needs is the light of Christ. It is necessary because a life without the presence of God becomes miserable, turning into a life without love, without joy, without light, a life in darkness”, recalled the Archbishop.

He invited the believers to take care during these festive days to remember the holiness and greatness of this divine gift and this can be achieved by cleansing the heart from all evil and filling it with love and humility towards all people, especially towards those who are in need, in poverty, despair, misery and loneliness.

“Only by doing this will Christmas assume its true meaning and everything in us will be illuminated by God becoming flesh in Jesus,” said Archbishop Joani. /a.f/p.s./

For this Christian community, Christmas is one of the most important holidays of the year.

Lucia Martino, an Arbëresh community activist, writer and global promoter of Arbëresh cuisine, told Albanian Telegraphic Agency (ATA) about the community’s Christmas traditions.

“For us, Christmas is a very important celebration. First, we put up the tree and prepare the Nativity scene with the manger. On this occasion, the community takes part in the repeated nine-day prayers (the novenas), through which people ask God to fulfill a wish. Christmas is also a time to strengthen bonds among Arbëresh people,” Lucia said.

In the days leading up to the holiday, songs dedicated to the newborn Christ are sung, strictly in the Arbëresh language. Starting on December 23, especially in large families, people gather to prepare Christmas sweets (such as scalette, crustuli and others). Lucia explains that Christmas desserts are mainly fried in oil, while Easter sweets are baked in the oven.

“On Christmas Eve, the table is set according to tradition, which requires seven different dishes. That night, everything must be meat-free. In the past, spaghetti with breadcrumbs and anchovies were prepared – a simple but flavourful cuisine that is still followed today,” explained Martino, who is a master of Arbëresh gastronomy and has written several books to ensure that Arbëresh culinary culture is not lost.

A dish that never fails to appear on Christmas Eve is dried cod (baccalà), along with radicchio, broccoli and small fried fish that are inexpensive, symbolically linking the meal to the family of Nazareth and Christ’s birth in poverty. Sweets are also placed on the table, to be enjoyed throughout the festive period.

“In my family, pancakes were always present at Christmas – the same ones you have as well,” Martino said. She also mentioned the typical Christmas Eve sweet known as giuggiulena, a confection similar to sesame, almond and honey brittle.

Christmas Day lunch, meanwhile, features homemade pasta, oven-baked kid goat with potatoes, fruit and the sweets prepared earlier. Panettone, she noted, entered the Arbëresh Christmas table tradition at a later stage.

Asked about religious belief, Martino said the Arbëresh are Catholics in the sense that they are under the authority of the Pope.

“But we follow the Byzantine rite, and our Eparchy of Lungro (Eparchia di Lungro) has been officially recognized since 1919. We celebrate using our own liturgy in the Arbëresh or Greek language,” she said.

More than a century ago, the Vatican paid closer attention to the situation of Byzantine-rite believers following their persistent requests for the appointment of a bishop in Calabria and another in Sicily, each with full territorial jurisdiction.

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Speaking on television, Archbishop Dodaj said that the young people should not be seen simply as numbers, but they should be given time and space, starting from the state institutions.

Archbishop Dodaj also focused on the symbolism of Christmas, emphasizing that this is a spiritual moment for everyone and an awakening of conscience.

On Christmas Eve, Dodaj also shared a message for all believers.

Archbishop Dodaj emphasized that our country must overcome polarization and have more spiritual, economic and social well-being for everyone.

“Our country should actually overcome polarization because everyone should have spiritual, economic and social well-being. It cannot be a luxury for 1% of Albanian society to have all the benefits of the country and the others are simply numbers that we are reminded of once every four years”, said Bishop Dodaj.

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