Intangible Cultural Heritage
Xhubleta, skills, craftsmanship and forms of usage
Xhubleta is a handcrafted garment worn by highland women and girls in Northern Albania characterised by its undulating bell form Predominantly black with colourful embroidered motifs the crafting process entails preparing the shajak woven felt cutting sewing and embroidering symbolic figures Xhubleta was once used in everyday life from the age of puberty indicating the wearers social and economic status However its use and production has been decreasing over the past decades due to sociopolitical and economic reasons The new policies set by the socialist system in the 1960s altered traditional cultural patterns bringing changes to the daily lives of the mountain communities and the use and production of Xhubleta As women had to work in the agricultural socialist cooperatives Xhubleta was no longer practical for everyday life Furthermore state collectivization led to a lack of raw materials for its production Today few women possess the knowledge of the entire process and traditional familybased transmission is rare Nevertheless the garment has maintained its social and spiritual significance and is still considered an integral part of highland identity
Albania