Death rituals in Albania: an anthropological review

The structure of death rituals differs consistently amongregions of Albania. The death ritual contains very strongpatriarchal features in the Northern part of the country; insouthern regions (next to the seashore) and in Albaniancommunities living elsewhere in the Mediterranean basin, thefeatures are more animistic; the females playing an importantrole in grief proclamation, suggesting a more matriarchalorientedritual organization. The wailing of men in the northernAlbania, the so-called gjama, is an organized ritual of cryingfor the dead person, and till recently it has been accompaniedwith self-punishing behaviors such as face scratching etc. Thewailing of women is acceptable and codified as well in thenorthern areas (the so-called wailing of milk). A differentsituation, probably related to the social organization and to thegender role of females, is apparent in southern Albania. Thedeath rituals hereby are mainly accompanied from the socalled“kuja”, (wailing through words) more impressive andloquacious than the northern masculine “gjama”. Similaritieswith Greek and Hellenic rituals (“Thrênos” and “Go s”) aresuggested; probably embedding multiple cross-acting andinter-related influences.