Theater movement in Kavajë has its origins in early 1919. Several teachers and patriots at the time took the initiative to give spark to the emancipation of the city's cultural life. In the early 20th century, most folk songs were performed with a flute or
kavalli as it was known in this area. Initially made of wood and later of metal, kavalli consisted of two rods, in length with 6 holes attached to each side and with an upper hole which served as some type of a counterbase. Folk songs were commonly performed by one person. Later performances included more people, mainly in the singing of the chorus. Women always performed together using tambourines.
Folk DancingFolk dancing has been a long-standing tradition in Kavajë. Some of the most popular dances include:
"Vallja e Zileve",
"Vallja e Qypave",
"Vallja dyshe e rëndë e Kavajës",
"Vallja e Qilimave", etc. Among the most outstanding dancers and choreographers who have remained popular include: Zyhra and Gani Ferra, Remzi Gjeçi, Madrid Maliqati, Ibrahim Roçi, Gëzim Agolli, Arianit Boraku, Leonard Mitrushi, Esdalin Gorani, Myrteza Dimni and others. Historically the most commonly used men's costume was the kilt or the
fustanella, which had been in use up until the
Proclamation of Independence of 1912. In the later period, looser clothing started to become the trend. Men wore long sleeve shirts accompanied by artistically sewed vests. Trousers were loosely knitted with wool and were black or dark brown. White trousers were used on significant events and holidays. Also included in the costume was a long woolen belt or leather belt, woolen socks and cow leather sandals or moccasins decorated with tufts at the front. Women's costumes included a type of headdress embroidered with gold and filled with small silver coins. These were typically worn by young brides. Women also wore long-sleeved uncollared shirts, accompanied by a small vest embroidered in silk or gold threads. On the bottom, they wore half slips covered by a type of loosely wrapped clothing known as
dimite, which was usually white. For walking, they wore white cotton or silk socks accompanied by tailored shoes, sandals or slippers. When a woman left the house to visit someone, she would wear a long, brightly colored dress made of satin. Lyrical songs express human feelings and spiritual experiences. They express different moments of a person's life, the joy of love, friendship, grief, hatred and other various phenomena of life's attitudes. Some of the most authentic lyrical songs from this region include: "Mun aty ke shtatë zymbylat", "Këndon gjeli pika-pika", "Kënga e gjemitarit", all believed to have been composed and sung by popular singers of the time like Pol Kanapari, Hasan Sakati, Zenel Kalushi and Islam Xhatufa. Other popular singers include Thabit Rexha, Liri Rama, Desire Pezaku, Nysrete Hylviu and undoubtedly the greatest of them all
Parashqevi Simaku. Historical songs are dedicated to historical events and prominent historical figures. They are generally created by people who lived these events or are in some ways attached to them. The oldest historical song that is well-preserved even today is titled
"Kënga për mbrojtjen e Ulqinit". Other historical songs worth mentioning include:
"Kënga e Ceno Kavajës",
"Kënga e Sulë Mustafës",
"Bubullin ke Shkambi Kavajës", etc. In Albania the phrase "
Llogje Kavaje" or "
Lloqe Kavaje" (
Kavajë Blabber) is a regional pejorative denoting the word
gossip. It suggests a person who gossips or says things which evidently turn out not to be true. A few old proverbs from Kavajë: •
Me fol me ty, si me fol me murin. ("Talking to you is like talking to the wall.") •
U bo veza me mësu pulën. ("Since when does the egg teach the chicken?") •
Rrena osht nona e të këqijave. ("A lie is the mother of all bad things.") •
Breshka po ferrën don. ("A turtle wants only its bush—things eventually settle in their natural habitat.") •
Mjer puna ime, që se boni dora ime. ("Being critical to something which was done by others but could've been done better by myself had I taken the effort.")
Cultural heritage The Ethnographic Museum of Kavajë, completed in 1971, was built on a restored building with a hajat (gallery), the type of which was widespread throughout the 18th century. Its architectonic origin however dates back to the late antiquity in the typology of a "villa rustica", commonly present in the region. After the full restoration of the building, the newly formed museum would be given the status of a cultural monument. The managing group which programmed the conceptual orientation and realisation of the museum was made up of the most reputable authorities of the time in the studies of ethnography. The main characteristic of the museum's ethnographic fund is defined by the variety of its objects and their diverse origin. Craft works composed in ceramic, copper and textiles from local craftsmen representing the city and the region are present for display. So is a large collection of works from the Northern, North-Eastern and Southern regions of Albania. The elements of the traditional costumes from these regions are distinguished for their level of mastery and finesse, for the richness of the ornaments and symbols merged into geometric, zoomorphic and anthropomorphic forms. Other Cultural Monuments found in the region of Kavajë:
St.Paraskevi's Church (Kisha e Shën Premtes) built in 1280; Clock Tower
(Sahati) built in 1817; Bukaq Bridge
(Ura e Bukaqit) built in the 18th century; Depots of the former Karpen Saltern
(Depot e ish-Kripores së Karpenit) built in the 17th century; Bashtovë Fortress
(Kalaja e Bashtovës) built in the 15th century.
Media Kavajë has one local television station, TV6 – (former channel
2ATV is no longer operational) – and one local radio station, Radio Fantazia. The now discontinued
Kavaja Progres was a weekly publication that began circulation in the late fall of 2007. Printed in a newspaper format, it covered mostly socio-economic issues and other daily aspects of city life. Its editorials were perceived to be overly critical of the then-run democratic administration. The paper's publication abruptly ceased in mid-summer of 2009 with the pretext that it lacked funding. This raised speculations that it had been used as a propaganda piece all along by the local socialist party base, in effort to influence the upcoming general elections.
Religion The population of Kavajë belongs in part to two religious denominations, Muslim and Orthodox Christian. The Muslim population nominally makes up ¾ of the total population. The remaining ¼ belong to the Orthodox faith. These are estimates which don't hold into account atheists and other non-believers. The municipality office maintains no official statistics on religion. The largest of the four mosques in the city is
Kubelie Mosque (Xhamia Kubelie), named after the old mosque built by Kapllan Beu in 1736 and later demolished by the communist regime in 1967. The existing mosque was rebuilt in 1994. The Piety Mosque
(Xhamia e Devotshmërisë) was built in the Zguraj neighbourhood in 2001 with funds from a Saudi charity organization. The Dedei Mosque
(Xhamia e Haxhi, Mynyre dhe Dervish Dedeit) was built in 2005 with funds from the Dedei Family. There is also a small
teqe built in recent years within the city limits and another one in the village of
Luz i Madh. Followers of the orthodox faith attend the Shën Kolli Church located near
Besa Stadium. The church was rebuilt in 1997, on the same land as the old one with funds from Greece.
St.Paraskevi's Church (Kisha e Shën Premtes) is located east of Kavajë in the village of
Çetë. It was built during the 13th century and today serves as a cultural monument. The frescos inside the church are works of the well-known iconic painter
Kostandin Shpataraku. A smaller church is found in the village of
Rreth-Greth, formerly a part of
Kryevidh Commune. It's attended by the locals of that area.
Sports The small town of Kavajë has a storied history associated with the game of
football in
Albania. Hometown club
Besa, which was founded in 1925, has for decades produced talents for the
National Team in all youth and senior levels. In 1973, Besa gained fame for being the first Albanian football club to move into the second round of the
UEFA Cup Winner's Cup. Two years prior
Besa had been a
Balkans Cup finalist, where they lost to Greek side
Panionios 2–3 on aggregate. In the competition Besa won Group A against
FK Crvenka and
Veliko Tarnovo. The club has won two
Albanian Cup titles having appeared in the final eight times. They have placed as
Superliga runners-up twice and have established third-place a total of eleven times. Some of the most memorable matches are the 9–1 win over
Flamurtari in 1937, the 12–0 win over
Elbasani in 1945, the 11–0 win over
Apolonia in 1965 and the 7–1 win versus
Sk Tirana in 1992. Besa is also a winner of six different cups. In 1946 it won the
"Kryesia e Federatës Sportive" Cup, in 1953 and 1957 it won the
"Bashkimet Profesionale të Shqipërisë" Cup, in 1961 and 1963 it won the
"Gazeta Sporti" Cup, in 1965 it won the
"Gazeta Bashkimi" Cup. Youth team Besa U-19 has been crowned Albanian champions twice, in the 1992–1993 and 2008–2009 seasons. The U-17 team was most recently crowned champions in 2018. Throughout its history Besa has competed in international tournaments and friendlies against such clubs as
Sarajevo,
Odra Opole,
Dynamo Berlin,
Progresul,
Veliko Tarnovo,
Crvenka,
Panionios,
Fremad Amager,
Hibernian,
PAS Giannina,
Bezanija,
Litex Lovech,
Ethnikos Achnas,
Grasshopper Zürich,
Olympiacos. The former
district region of Kavajë has three other professional football clubs:
Egnatia Rrogozhinë,
Golemi FC and
Luzi United. == Notable people ==