TIRANA, March 12 – Icelandic singer and songwriter Emiliana Torrini and several renowned international DJs have been invited to perform in Tirana on March 14, when Albania celebrates the Summer Day, a pagan festival originally celebrated in the city of Elbasan, central Albania, which this year marks eleven years as a national holiday.
A tight calendar of events has been announced ahead of the celebrations which kicked off in the town of Elbasan on Thursday with a local products trade fair. Celebrations in Elbasan will continue on Friday with two concerts and several traditional dances before peaking on Saturday, March 14 with a Carnival Festival and another bigger open-air concert.
Tirana which has become the epicenter of festivities after the Summer Day was announced a national holiday will celebrate the event with a tighter agenda of events, including concerts, puppet theatre, circus performances, sports events and a handcraft trade fair.
This year’s special guest is Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini who is emerging as an international star. She is famous for her 2009 ‘Jungle Drum’ hit in her third “Me and Armini” album.
Weather forecasts show Saturday, March 14, will be a sunny day, which is good news for dozens of thousands of visitors to Tirana and Elbasan.
While thousands of people rush to Elbasan, where the holiday originates, celebrations in Tirana are becoming ever bigger ever since Summer Day was announced a national holiday.
Approved by the Albanian Parliament in 2004 as an official and national holiday, this day of pagan celebration symbolizes the rebirth of nature, the awakening from a long dark winter and a general rejuvenation of one’s spirit. The celebration of Summer Day dates back to ancient times in the city of Elbasan, which due in part to its location in the geographic center of the country, was considered the umbilical city for all of Albania. According to an Albanian legend, the Mountain Muse, who was the goddess of hunting, forests, and all things related to nature, would usher in summer by coming out of her temple on the 14th of March.
