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Exclusive / Mirdita 1913: Mortuary rituals in the eyes of an Austrian general

2022-06-12 16:25:51Histori SHKRUAR NGA MARENGLEN KASMI
Exclusive / Mirdita 1913: Mortuary rituals in the eyes of an Austrian general
"Albania"
Author Feldmarshall-Lithuania OtovonGerstner, published in Vienna in 1913

In those few foreign publications about Albania at the beginning of the twentieth century, a book entitled "Albania" stands out, by Feldmarshall-Lieutenant Otto Gerstner, published in Vienna in 1913. The book is accompanied by 18 photographs and some maps. As the author himself writes, the photos were taken by a major Spaits, who apparently accompanied him during the trip to Albania.

OtovonGerstner was a general of the Austro-Hungarian army, who served in the army until 1895. The book deals with the history of Albania, its problems in the early twentieth century and above all the author describes in great detail the character of Albanians, be they northern or southern ones, their customs, rituals, daily life, etc.

With the same care and in detail he describes a mortuary ritual in Mirdita, where he participated.

We are giving his full story below:

"He who thinks that the cell of an Albanian priest offers a comfortable stay according to our worldview, is seriously mistaken! Albanians - as well as local priests - lack any sense of a sweet home. It does not occur to them to decorate the house, to furnish it comfortably, to take care of a small garden or to place under the shade of a tree a table and a bench. The same was in the house of the clergyman Dom Marko Vajza. "But the more bare the walls of the house, the more the surrounding environment was not maintained, the more cordial his hospitality was."

"Marko Tus Prgjoka was killed early this morning near his house," he told us.

The next day, Dom Marko escorted to the home of the slain. The frightening screams of mourners could be heard in the distance. TusPrgjoka was lying on a stretcher under a tree and on the second stretcher, next to him, were placed the victim's weapons and the bullet necklace. The bullet of the enemy - it was a vengeance of an old blood - had struck the desolate in the abdomen; surely a medical treatment would have saved him, but such things do not exist in the mountains of Albania. The desolate Tus Prgjokae had stretched out, with their bellies open, dressed in his finest clothes, surrounded by women, who rhythmically roared with songs of mourning, while the men sat down. The slain brother accompanied me to the tower, a fortified building, the upper floor of which was arranged for a stubborn defense; dera-kurth,

"A real castle"! I told the clergyman. Castle - or a prison; depends on how you look at it! [...]

On the way we met five men who had long guns on their shoulders. They looked like poor demons because the Albanian usually keeps the marriage, even the rich already have the modern Mannlicher rifle (which in popular slang was called by the Albanians Maliher - MK).

The men wished us peace of God. The priest responded to the greeting warmly and spoke loudly for a long time as we approached the mortuary.

"It was Gjon Kola with his friends," Don Marko told me with a laugh. "John Kola, the killer"? I asked incredibly surprised. “Of course! He and his companions have been invited to attend the funeral and then have a 12-hour besa, which is always kept sacred.

Exclusive / Mirdita 1913: Mortuary rituals in the eyes of an Austrian general
The killers going to the funeral of the slain

And indeed, when in the afternoon the funeral procession began to move towards the cemetery, even John Kola and his companions walked behind the coffin.

The dead man was tied to two trees under the shade of a tree, just as it had been in the morning on a stretcher. The women surrounded him again and began to mourn. The mother was sitting next to the deceased, whose face was covered with a handkerchief. Occasionally the mother would raise her handkerchief to look at the dead man, take his plush from his head, kiss him, and continue the oil with the other women. This was done for about an hour, until there was room for three other men, who were covered. The pair of vests, called xamadan, which, as it is said since Skanderbeg's death, is worn only in black, is part of the Albanian dress. The three men had covered their heads and faces with the side of the vest and were standing frozen about five steps in front of the deceased. "Woe is me for you, my brother - woe is me - oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, they suddenly started shouting and this "uh, uh, uh" sounded loud and desperate as a promise of revenge. They approached the dead closer and closer, repeating the same verse and leaning forward. In the end they came very close to the face of the dead, directing their dead cries to the dead, as if he would hear them, in order to go to the grave safe, that his revenge would be taken. Meanwhile the killers were standing behind the crowd, with guns in their hands.

The corpse was untied from the two trees.The great heat had accelerated the decomposition, which was already conspicuous. The coffin was a simple coffin, on which the victim's mother leaned once more, to share with her son. Then the priest came, blessed the land, and soon the cemetery of Rzen (Erzen?) Was emptied of people. "Gjon Kola and his friends had disappeared before the funeral was over."

Exclusive / Mirdita 1913: Mortuary rituals in the eyes of an Austrian general
The dead man lying on the stretcher, next to his arms

 

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