The season lasts pretty much all summer and even trickles into fall. So last July when we arrived it was the middle of wedding season. Weddings here are like nothing you'd ever imagine, or so I hear. The wedding festivities last a week. It's one continuous party night after night. At these parties they blast the music. Albanian music. And during the height of it all there will be multiple weddings at the same time and the music, like surround sound, comes from all directions. Sometimes it's so loud you feel like the party's going on in your living room. Now these celebrations don't end at 10pm or 11pm like a wedding in America would, that's actually when they're getting started. The music plays until 3am or 4 am depending on the day and who is getting married. And that's what I like.
At first it was hard to fall asleep and then stay asleep. But once I figured it out, once I figured out how to sleep through the music, I had a hard time sleeping without it. It wasn't until last years wedding season ended that I realized I actually liked the music. It was too quiet at night. Between the long bouts of silence I would hear dogs barking. I would hear cats getting into fights. I would hear the call to prayer from all of the mosques around town. And I would hear loud muffler-less cars speeding down the dirt roads. It was hard to sleep without the music.
There is just something comforting to me about the Albanian music playing all night long. It's how we were introduced to Albania- the music at night is what we learned Albania was. And when it was taken away it didn't feel like the Albania I came to know and love.
Like a mother rocking her child to sleep, the blaring Albanian wedding music puts me to sleep. Needless to say, I'm glad it's wedding season again!
