Kosovo Journal
Visiting Kosovo we learned that unwritten rules are often practiced as law. The major principles include personal honor, equality of people, and the freedom for everyone to act according to their own honor within law limits. It’s amazing how the people of Kosovo are still able to keep their values from the past, even if some customs and traditions are being changed by the influence of the western world. Nowadays, the elder generations are the ones who try to help and keep the traditions and customs alive. Similarly, Chinese also have the same problem, many customs and traditions are being forgotten. We learned that the word “Besa,” is a word of honor that creates a situation where the trust is inviolable. A man who breaks Besa is considered unworthy and may be banished from their community. It is a very honorable practice but we wonder if they still follow this tradition.
During our trip to Kosovo, we also learned about the many public holidays throughout the country. The holidays include :
- 1st and 2nd January 2017 – New Year
- 7th January 2017 – Orthodox Christmas
- 17th February 2017 – Independence Day of the Republic of Kosovo
- 9th April 2017 – Constitution Day of the Republic of Kosovo
- 16th April 2017 – Catholic Easter Day
- 16th April 2017 – Orthodox East Day
- 1st May 2017 – International Labor Day
- 9th May 2017 – Europe Day
- 25th June 2017 – Eid Al-Fitr, first day
- 1st September 2017 – Eid Al Addha, first day
- 25th December 2017 – Catholic Christmas
These holidays allow all the people to get a free day off, and for the people who can't, the employers are required to pay full time. Also, if the holidays fall on a weekend, the will get the following Monday off. Additionally, it's important to note that because that these holidays came from the government, they have the power to change, add or delete holidays. We hope they'll add a "foodie fest" as a holiday someday, then we'll go there every year.
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| Kosovo National Art Gallery |
It has been said that the name was inspired by Kosovan painter, Muslim Mulliqi. The architecture of the building is a piece of art itself, with it's unique location and the way it stands out like a sore thumb, makes it more than qualify to hold the local and international artists throughout the world. Not only does it host the painting of renowned artists, it also serves as a host for sculptures, photographs, and graphics from other people. In conclusion, we highly recommend you to go there to take a look and remember to have fun.
Source: http://performingtheeast.com/blog/2013/6/23/creative-kosovo
Kosovo Newspaper
Kosovo police find €2m fake banknotes in taxi
10 March 2017
Kosovo police 'foil IS attack' on Israeli football team
17 November 2016
According to Kosovan police, they have foiled a plot by terrorists to attack the Israeli football team when it visited Albania last week. During this incident, nineteen people were arrested before Israel's World Cup qualifiers for suspected terrorism. According to the police, they found explosives along with "extremist" literature, therefore causing the location for the match to change from Shkoder to Elbasan. As a result, the Israeli football team defeated the Albanian team in another location because of safety reasons. According to the BBC, police said they believed the suspects had "clear targets", which was Kosovo.
Serbia-Kosovo train row escalates to military threat
15 January 2017
A train that was painted with "Serbian colors" and had "Kosovo is Serbia" in 21 different languages on it's outside, and huge religious icons on the inside was prevented from crossing the borders because it was seen as a deliberate provocation made by Serbia. The reason behind this being that after Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008, it has been recognized by everyone but Serbia and it's allies. After the train was stopped, President Tomislav Nikolic claimed that Kosovo wanted to rage war saying that the words, pictures, and colours represented their "cultural heritage". He even said that he would be willing to send the army to defend Serbs in Kosovo, if necessary. Yet, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, said that it was stopped "to protect the country's sovereignty" and that Kosovo would not allow "machines that will provoke with a message of occupation." As the tension grew, Kosovo deployed military forces to prevent the train from passing, therefore forcing Serbia to stop as well. This caused the two countries to be on the brink of war.Source #1: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39238148
Source #2: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-38630152
Kosovo Postcard
Dear Caia,
During our 6 day trip to Kosovo, we found it particularly worth noting that Prizren is a beautiful city. Not only is it rich in history, it also has great scenery and heavenly food. Prizren, the culture capital of Kosovo, is located on the southern side of the country, near the Shar Mountains and is close to the wine region, Rahovec. It has something for everyone, such as the Prizren Fortress that dates back to the Serbian Empire, ancient churches that date back to the 15th century, traditional accessory making techniques that also dates back to the 15th century, the biggest wineries in Kosovo, and finally, the Shar Mountains that dates back to who knows how long ago. Also, it's important to note that Prizren has a unique summer film festival. All in all, Prizren is a great place, and we had lots of fun.
From the top of the Shar Mountains,
Cassie and Evelyn
Source: https://abstract.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/67938/
Source: https://abstract.desktopnexus.com/wallpaper/67938/
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