The Vallje of Civita

Arbëreshë Easter and Arbëreshë Holy Week in the Italo-Albanian communities in Calabria

Religious

Regione Calabria

Among the not-to-be-missed rites of Holy Week in Calabria are the vallje of Civita, in the province of Cosenza, and the other villages of arbëreshë origin in Calabria.

Albanian Holy Week (Java e Madhe, shortly after Catholic Week) and Albanian Easter (Pashkëvet) are enlivened by the traditional Albanian dances, the vallje, performed in a semicircle through the streets of the village, accompanied by epic songs recounting resistance against the Turks, rhapsodies, love and death stories. The most famous of these songs is the Song of Scanderbeg on Holy Tuesday.

The vallje of Civita are the perfect opportunity to visit the village, among The Most Beautiful Villages in Italy.