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Albania has an incredibly hospitable culture and its own particular traditions of courtesy. They are very closely related to the notion of hospitality, a notion similar to that of the sacred guest from Homer and classical literature. Many Albanian traditions of hospitality come from The Kanun, or "The Code", a 15th-century text written by the powerful Dukagjin clan, although many of the laws written in the code date from earlier times. As written in The Kanun, the guest will be shown the highest respect by being offered a seat at the head of the table. The guest is then regaled with the best the family has to offer, usually taking the form of homemade raki, traditional liquor. It is an Albanian tradition to shake hands when meeting one another, and in many cases, they kiss each other on the cheeks, generally four times. One of the most common gesticulation confusions arises from the fact that Albanians nod their heads up and down to mean "no", and shake their heads left to right to indicate "yes". Another specific Albanian gesture that may be confusing to foreigners is when the palm is placed in the chest, it expresses thanks. Also note that it is unacceptable to exhibit yourself topless in the seaside, or worse, naked; of course, there are many isolated places where you can do this in private. Albanians are friendly and very open towards foreigners that visit their country. If you are lucky enough to be invited to visit an Albanian's home, you will be treated as royalty. As written in The Kanun, the guest will be shown the highest respect by being offered a seat at the head of the table. The guest is then regaled with the best the family has to offer, usually taking the form of homemade raki, traditional liquor. Albanian climate Albania has a mild, Mediterranean climate. Many visitors will find that it never gets cold in the lowlands. The Ionian Cost, in particular, is very clement; with aver age winter temperatures of 8-10 C. In Tirana and in other inland cities on the plains, temperature sometimes drops below freezing, but this is usually only at night, and it is rare for ice or snow to last more than a day. The country enjoys a good deal of sunny weather, with an average of around 300 sunny days each year. Most of Albania's annual rainfall occurs between late autumn and early spring; outside of the mountainous areas, it is unusual for it to rain in summer. In the summer, visitors often find the inland towns to be quite hot, with July usually being the warmest month. In Tirana, for example, temperatures occasionally reach 40C Many hotels and restaurants have air conditioning. The best places to be in midsummer are on the coast, where sea breezes keep the average temperatures down to a more tolerable 25-30 C, or in the high mountains. If you have the luxury of choice, the best times of year to come for sightseeing are spring and fall. In autumn the orchards blaze with the bright orange of the persimmons and the cooler colors of the citrus fruits, while in spring the apple and cherry blossoms cover the roadsides with their pastel-toned blossoms. The long spring evenings are a good time to enjoy the terrace and sidewalk cafes which are ubiquitous throughout the country, while in September and October it is still warm enough to swim on the southern coast. Albanian language Albanians can be divided into two cultural groups: the northern Albanians, or Ghegs and the southern Albanians, or Tosks. The geographic border between the two groups, based on dialect, runs roughly along the Shkumbin River, which flows through the central town of Elbasan to the Adriatic Sea. All Albanians north of the Shkumbin, along with the Albanians of Montenegro, Kosovo, and most of Macedonia (FYROM), speak Gheg dialects with their characteristic nasalization. All Albanians south of the Shkumbin, including the Albanians of Greece, southwestern Macedonia, and southern Italy, speak Tosk dialects with their characteristic rhotacism. Although dialect and cultural differences between the Ghegs and Tosks can be substantial, both sides identify strongly with the common national and ethnic culture. Traditional Albanian clothing Includes more than 200 different kind of clothing in all Albania and Albanian inhabited lands. This is due to the division the Albanian principalities in the Middle Ages. To this day, some conservative old men and women mainly from the North wear traditional clothing in their daily lives. Instead, older women from the South usually wear all black outfits. Almost every region in Albania has its own traditional dress with women clothing being particularly colorful and rich in detail. Religion in Albania Albania constitutionally is a secular country, and as such, neutral in questions of belief . The most common religions practiced in Albania are Islam and Christianity. In 1967, religious practices were officially forbidden in Albania, making the country the first and only constitutionally atheist state to ever exist. After the fall of state communism, in 1991 religious activities resumed. Among people who follow any of the four major religions in Albania, there is a mixture of various religious traditions and pagan traditions coming from time before Christianity. In Albania there are 60% Muslim, 30% orthodox, and 10% catholic. Albanian food The cuisine of Albania is influenced by Turkish, Greek, and Italian cooking. Albanian cuisine is characterized by the use of Mediterranean herbs such as oregano, black pepper, mint, basil, rosemary and more in cooking meat and fish. Olive oil and butter are a main ingredient in dishes. Vegetables are used in almost every dish. Usually, Albanian farmers grow every vegetable present in the Mediterranean region and sell them at the local farmers' market. Vegetables are bought fresh at the farmers' market early in the morning, which is open every day. The main meal of the Albanians is lunch, which usually consists of gjellë, the main dish of slowly cooked meat, and a salad of fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, and olives. The salad is dressed with olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Free time in Albania During their free and leisure time, Albanians usually meet each other in cases for lively discussions of current events and other topics of local interest. As such, Albania abounds with literally thousands of cafes for every taste and personality. Throughout the evening and night in the larger cities, young people enjoy pubs, nightclubs, disco music, and karaoke. During the summer evenings, people stroll through the main boulevards, beside the sea in the coastal zones and in the parks. During the weekends in Tirana, people hike in the Grand Park, located in the heart of the city. A variety of sports, fishing, hiking and other leisure activities are available in Tirana, Durrës, Vlora, Korça, Elbasan, Gjirokastra, and Saranda. Bowling, billiards, videogames, casinos are also prominently available in these cities. Except for a large casino in Tirana, most casinos are restricted to electronic games with few table games. Albania has a rich cultural life. This is in particular demonstrated in the biggest cities, where you can find different theatrical, musical, movie shows, etc.