Elbasan celebrates Summer Day amidst joyful atmosphere and thousands of visitors

2026-03-14 11:27:00, Aktualitet CNA

Elbasan woke up this March 14th to an extraordinary festive atmosphere, welcoming thousands of citizens and visitors from all over Albania and the diaspora to celebrate Summer Day, one of the city's most beloved traditions.

Elbasan celebrates Summer Day amidst joyful atmosphere and thousands of visitors

The streets, squares, and pedestrian areas have been filled since the early hours of the morning with people of all ages, while the city has turned into a major center of celebrations, cultural activities, and traditional fairs.

Elbasan celebrates Summer Day amidst joyful atmosphere and thousands of visitors

The atmosphere is accompanied by music, artistic activities, craft fairs and the characteristic aroma of ballokume, the symbolic dessert of this holiday, which has been prepared for centuries by the city's housewives. In every corner of Elbasan, visitors can find traditional products, handicrafts and flavors closely related to this celebration inherited from generations.

Elbasan celebrates Summer Day amidst joyful atmosphere and thousands of visitors

One of the city's housewives says that preparing the balls requires care and precision in every detail.

"Happy Summer's Day. Ballokumja is a centuries-old dessert, made by the housewives of Elbasan. It represents Elbasan, when you say ballokumja in no other place can you find it like in Elbasan. It is a little whimsical, like a dessert, it wants its own flavors, the exact grams, but it gets done. They like it a lot, especially the people of Elbasan. It is also in demand by the diaspora," says the housewife.

Elbasan celebrates Summer Day amidst joyful atmosphere and thousands of visitors

This year, a craft fair with wooden huts has been added to the celebrations, where artisans present their traditional works, bringing another dimension of cultural heritage.

"Greetings from Elbasan, we wish you a Happy Summer Day. This wonderful day is filled not only with Elbasan residents but also with guests from all over Albania and Albanian-speaking regions. This is a fair that is new for this year. It is the first time that a fair with wooden houses is held. We thank the municipality of Elbasan for giving us the opportunity to represent ourselves with our works," says one of them.

immigrants, who have returned to their city specifically to experience the atmosphere of this day, who also share their impressions:

"We came from Germany but we are from Elbasan. We came especially for our holiday. I come to Castile for this atmosphere because I like it a lot, I am spiritually filled when I come here. The tradition has always been in Elbasan."

"We're having a great time, I'm very pleased. My friend and I come every year, in the rain, when it's cold, but today the weather is great. We're having fun and I wish everyone a Happy Summer Day."

Elbasan celebrates Summer Day amidst joyful atmosphere and thousands of visitors

Celebrations in the city of Elbasan are expected to continue throughout the day with concerts, children's activities and cultural events, turning this city into the epicenter of tradition and joy for Summer Day, a celebration that continues to unite Albanians wherever they are./CNA