The following photos were taken in Prizren on the 100th Anniversary of Albania's independence from Ottoman rule on November 28, 2012.  You will see lots of red and many Albanian flags.  We went to a celebration at the Albanian League of Prizren Musuem, one of Kosovo's most important historical sites.  It is where patriots and intellectuals from Kosovo and Macedonia gathered in 1878 to start the poolitical, military, and cultural struggle against the Ottoman Empire. 

Kosovar boys holding Albanian flags on stage as a backdrop to the ceremony.

One token girl onstage with a flag.

Kosovar boy all decked out for the celebration.  Buildings of the Albanian League of Prizren are in the background.  They were reconstructed after being destroyed by the Serbs in 1999.

Albanian League of Prizren building with mosque in the background.

Celebration with Prizren in the background. 

Celebration attendees.  About 5% of the women cover themselves and there are a few men with beards.  Prizren is the most conservative place in Kosovo.  Supposedly, Saudia Arabia gives monthly stipends to some young women who cover themselves and to young men who wear a beard.

Kosovar young dancer

Young Kosovar boy with Turkish hat.

Kosovar Albanian traditional dancers performing.

Young boy watching celebration

Banner of three Kosovar war heroes.  We live on Adem Jashari street.

Traditional Kosovar Albanian dancer and musician before the performance.

The mistress of ceremonies wearing an Albanian flag dress.  I don't think she dyed her hair red for this celebration.  I've seen her on the street, and this is its usual color.

Dancers ending their performance.

Dancers perfoming.

Two Kosovar traditional Albanian dancers who posed for me.

Don't know if we missed a parade or something, but we passed this horse and rider on the street.

Shadervan Square on independence day.

Shadervan Square with Sinan Pasha Mosque in the background.  The mosque was buildt in 1615.  In the center of the photos is Shadervan Square fountain which has water from a natural spring.

Young Kosovoars celebrating

                                     

Shadervan Square fountain and Sinan Pasha Mosque.

Shadervan Square on Albanian Independence Day.

Shadervan Square looking opposite way on Albanian Independence Day.  Serbian Orthodox Church of St. George is in the background.

Flag seller on the Old Stone Bridge.  American flags are prominently displayed throughout the year since the Kosovars are thankful to the U.S. for helping them gain independence from Serbia. The bridge crosses the Lumbardhi River that bisects Prizren.  It dates from the 16th century but was rebuilt in 1979 after heavy floods washed it away.

Kosovar girls at the celebration.

This is inside one of our favorite restaurants - Symphony - in the Marash District of Prisren.  We went to have lunch to celebrate the Albanian Independence Day.  I remarked to Frank that there was a table of 7 women behind him and that must have left their husbands at home.  He replied that behind me, there was a table of 7 men pictured below.  We guessed that they were couples who didn't want to sit together.  This was later confirmed when the two tables interacted briefly with each other.  The men seemed to be having a much better time with lively conversations and smiles.  The women just concentrated on their lunches for the most part.   In talking to Kosovar friends later, they said that when groups of couples go out, separate tables are often chosen for the men and their wives.  Some of the young women don't like the practice.  We think that the men were probably good friends and the women were stuck sitting with each other even though they didn't have much to talk about.

The "more fun" table even though they don't look that lively here.