The 33rd traditional festival was organized outside the Catholic Church of St. Paul in Rochester Hills, Michigan, which gathered thousands of Albanian-speaking participants.
The four nights of the festival were accompanied by national music.
Six folklore groups participated in this festival, such as: Gjergj Kastrioti, Rozafati, Shqipet e Vogla, Grupi i Zojes Pajtore, Rugova and Rapsha e Hotit.
The second day on July 5th was dedicated to the festival of artistic groups and was entitled Festa e Jubleta, dedicated to this magnificent ancient dress of the Great Highlands which is a heritage of our Illyrian culture. This clothing has reached our days with its beauty and historical and cultural values. It represents an ancient institution of matriarchal culture, the most visible emblem of which is the shape of the jubilee bell.
The Folklore Artistic Program began with the parade of groups dressed in characteristic national clothing that filled the outdoor environment with true national colors.
Then different artistic groups performed a variety of dances from north to south, such as: Rugova Dance, Arbëreshe Dance, Chame Dance, Tirana Dance and Kosovar Dance.
An important moment was when the researcher, Visar Rafuna spoke about the ethnological values of Jubleta.
All the girls also emphasized in their words how the jublets had been preserved and how proud they were of those who wore their grandmothers’ jublets, because as the legend says:
“One day, a foreign prince approached the girl and asked her to sell him her jubilee. But the girl refused, because she had inherited it from her grandmother and considered it a precious possession. The prince got angry and cursed her: “If you don’t give me the jubilant, you will become a cursed fairy!”
The girl did not believe the curse, but after a few days, a strange thing happened. She turned into a black fairy, doomed to forever fly in darkness. However, her jublet remained on the ground, hidden in a deep cave. This legend is part of the cultural heritage of the Great Highlands and shows the importance of inherited wealth and respect for traditions.
