Besa (Albanian culture)

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"Besa" redirects here. For other uses, see Besa (disambiguation).

Besa is an Albanian cultural precept, usually translated as "faith", that means "to keep the promise" and "word of honor".[1] The word's origin can be traced to the Kanun of Lekë Dukagjini, which is a sort of "Constitution", a code of laws which regulated the Albanian social, economic and religious lives, together with traditional customs and cultural practices of the Albanian society between 1400 to today. Besa is an important part of personal and familial standing and is often used as an example of "Albanianism". The roots of this code sprouted from the Code of Leke Dukagjini, an Albanian cultural code. It is often used by Albanian thugs to terrorize local populations of Albania and surrounding Albanophone regions in the Balkans (even in Germany, many cases have been reported).[2]

Besa related sayings include:[1]

  • Besa e shqiptarit nuk shitet pazarit (the honor of an Albanian can not be sold or bought in a bazaar)
  • Shqiptaret vdesin dhe besen nuk e shkelin (Albanians would die rather than break honor)
  • Besa e shqiptarit si purteka e arit (the Albanians' honor is worth more than gold)

Besa is a key theme in the novel Kush e solli Doruntinën (usually abbreviated in English to "Doruntine") (1980), by Albanian novelist Ismail Kadare.[1]

See also

  • Albanian folklore

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kushova, Alma (July 21, 2004). "Besa". Open Democracy. Retrieved 2009-11-08. 
  2. ↑ http://www.frosina.org/about/infobits.asp?id=162

External links

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