One of the most distinguishing and charming characteristics of the Albanian people is their wonderful hospitality.

Albanians treat their guests like royalty. When visiting an Albanian home, even just for a coffee, they will bring out a smorgasbord of goodies- chocolates, candies and caramels, something cold to drink like juice or soda, Turkish coffee to follow, a sweet liquor for the women and of course, Albanian “raki” for the men.  As your visit lasts a couple hours, the hostess will keep bouncing back into the kitchen to get fruit and salty snacks like pretzels and peanuts.

If you are visiting an Albanian family for dinner, don’t be surprised if they give you the best part of the meat, like the lamb’s head (with eyeballs still attached). This is the considered the choicest part and goes to the most important person at the table, which is YOU, their guest.

In the villages, you may find the hostess bringing in a basin to wash your feet and/or hands before you sit down for a meal.

The way Albanians kick off a visit when you sit down in their homes is by toasting to your health and happiness, saying “Gezuar” (guzz- u’- are) which you repeat after them and then clink your raki glasses together. They don’t expect you to necessarily drink their throat-burning specialty drink, but in order for the host to feel like he can drink freely, you at least need to bring the glass to your lips. If you don’t touch your drink or your food, then neither will the host/hostess feel the freedom to do so.

Albanians are very generous, not only in the abundant snacks or meal they set before you, but also in wanting to give you something to remember them by. I remember many years ago when I was living in Korca, a southeastern city, when my mom came to visit me in Albania. We went to my next door neighbor’s for a visit and had a very memorable evening. As we were getting ready to go, Frida, our hostess, left the room for a moment and then came back with a beautiful silver spoon that she wanted my mom to have. It was an antique heirloom from Frida’s family. Even as my mom tried to refuse this generous and touching gift, they emphatically insisted that she keep it.

A word of advice here: be careful about complimenting too many things (like ornaments, decorations, etc.) in an Albanian home. Their hospitality, generosity and desire to please you as their guest may compel them to give you the very thing you are complimenting. For example, let’s say you like a painting on their wall and praise them for how beautiful it is– don’t be surprised if they actually give it to you as you are leaving.

Can you imagine if this endearing aspect of Albanian hospitality played out in a similar fashion in American homes?? “Wow, I really like your Plasma 54″ Flat Screen Television” you comment during a visit to a new friend’s home…(hint hint). Nope, no bite.

Well, this is a very unique characteristic to the Albanian culture and one that makes indelible impressions upon all those who visit this lovely country! I often tell people that Albania is a like a magnet– once you visit this country and spend time with Albanians in their homes, you’ll be drawn back to visit again and again.

Photo courtesy of: Gaston Thauvin

…when doing a visit to an Albanian home!

There is an unspoken “no shoes indoors” rule in Albania that is important for visiting guests to know about. Though uncertain as to where this custom originally comes from, it exists for very practical reasons and is an important part of adapting to the culture.

Albanians keep their homes spic and span– many don’t have the commodities and conveniences of a power vacuum (or a maid)– and so they mop the tiled floor and sweep the carpets with a thick broom 2-3 times a day. Since the biggest method of transportation traditionally has been by foot, outside shoes naturally become dusty or muddy and are not very friendly to the freshly cleaned floors.

When you go for a visit to someone’s home, even though the hostess will vehemently insist that you leave your shoes on, if you want to show true respect and an ‘insider understanding’ of the culture, then you will remove your shoes at the door and they will provide house slippers or “shapka” for your feet. Though it may be hard to go against the hostess’ wishes who’s exclaiming, “No, leave your shoes on, you’re a guest!”, you can be confident that you are doing the right thing and that the hostess is inwardly jumping for joy over the fact that you took your shoes off and won’t be tracking all of Tirana inside her home.

Though this tradition was a little awkward at first when I came to Albania (especially if any of my toes were poking through holes in my socks), I’ve really grown to appreciate it– now it is so natural to pop off my shoes at the door as soon as I enter a home.

What actually seems strange to me is when I’m back in the States and am “allowed” and even expected to walk on carpets in my shoes– it feels so unnatural and like something is amiss. I especially cringe when I see someone casually lounging on a couch or bed with their outdoor shoes on. I find myself thinking, “The gumption that person has!” and I want to shout out “What are you doing with your shoes still on? You’re supposed to leave them at the door! Not only are you tracking filth into the house, but you’re also ruining the poor couch!” But instead I take a deep breath, recalling the crux of my cross-cultural training which emphasized, “Different is not bad, just different”, and remind myself that this is ‘normal’ here in the United States and for the majority of my life I’ve done the very same thing.

Photo courtesy of Carol Dias