Symbols

The Albanian Flag

The first symbol is the Albanian Flag itself. The flag consists of a red background and a double-headed eagle in the middle. Most of the time Albanians make a symbol with their hands and that stands for the Albanian flag. The red in the flag stands for bravery, strength, valour and bloodshed, while the Eagle represents the sovereign state of Albania. Another thing that makes the Albanian flag very special is that it is one of the oldest flags in the world.

In my opinion, it's also amazing that Albania is the only country that can represent their flag without even having their flag with them. They do this by making the double eagle sign with their hands.

Religion

Within my family we follow the Islamic religion. Most Albanians are Muslims but you also have a minority of Orthodox, Catholics and Christians.

What makes Albanians so special is that there are so many religions in our countries, but that does not mean you are different from the others. They respect you regardless of your religion or nationality.

If you go to Albanian countries (Albania, Kosovo and North-Macedonia), you often see churches and mosques beside each other. Albanians also say and prove that it is easy to live between different religions and that everyone should respect each other and live in peace.

Kosovo flag

Albanians live all over the world, but there are only three countries where the majority of Albanians live. Those three countries are Albania itself, Kosovo and northern Macedonia. This is also why I chose the flag of Kosovo as one of the symbols. I myself am an Albanian from Kosovo.

Kosovo's flag consists of a blue background, six white stars and in the centre a golden yellow map of Kosovo's territory. The colours blue and gold represent Kosovo's future desire to be part of the European Union; blue and gold are colours of the EU flag. Moreover, the colour blue represents progress. The six white stars represent the six largest ethnic groups in Kosovo: Albanians, Bosnians, Gorani, Turks, Serbs and Roma. And finally, of course, the gold-yellow map, which, as mentioned, stands for the map territory of Kosovo.

Peace sign

Another symbol is the peace sign with your fingers, and as you can guess it stands for peace. It's a symbol my parents told me about, they did this symbol with their fingers when the war was going on to show that they wanted peace.

Mountains

Albania has a very varied and beautiful nature. The mountains in the Albanian regions are very large and beautiful. Many people forget what wonderful nature and mountains Albania actually has. And personally, I find mountains very meaningful because it always reminds me of my motherland.