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From: Ross Clark <benlizro@ihug.co.nz>
Newsgroups: sci.lang
Subject: =?UTF-8?Q?Re:_Dita_e_Ver=c3=abs_=2814_March=29_[OT}?=
Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2025 19:03:48 +1300
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On 14/03/2025 5:35 p.m., Jeff Barnett wrote:
> On 3/13/2025 5:30 PM, Ross Clark wrote:
>> "an Albanian spring festival and pagan holiday....for the beginning of 
>> the spring-summer period."
>> Celebrated officially on 14 March in Albania, unofficially in other 
>> countries where there are Albanians.
> 
> I'm curious: What does "pagan" mean in this context? And in general, 
> what image or reaction is the word supposed to conjure in general?

My guess is that Dita e Verës is believed to date from before the 
Albanians were Christians -- or Muslims. (People say that about a lot of 
present-day festivals or customs; it's not necessarily true.) I don't 
think it has anything to do with how the day is celebrated now.