20-24 septembrie 2009 - Biblioteca Metropolitana Bucuresti

462 Xhemile ABDIUmention as typical the ones which are performed during the wedding daysuch as for e.g., a male child who rolls in the bed where the groom and thebride are going to sleep, the hat put on the bride thus invoking the birth ofboys, throwing wheat, nuts and rice when the bride is entering the house(custom vivid in Albania still nowadays), a little boy sitting on the bride’slap, the bride taking off one of her shoes assisted by a little boy (still in usenowadays), putting some coins in the bride’s shoe, as well as a boy passingunder the horse the bride was riding, etc.All these examples show the importance of giving birth to male children.Such consideration is also expressed in the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini (inAlbanian: Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit), part related to heritage. It says thefollowing:The rights of inheritance.88. The Canon recognizes the son as a heir, but not the daughter.89. The Canon does not recognize an illegitimate son as an heir.90. Inheritance belongs to a descendant by filiation or by blood, andnot to one related by milk, nor to the children of daughters.(Kanun of Leke,1989: 52)Delivery of children was a very important act and process. Thepatrilineal mentality blamed always the woman for failing to give birth tochildren even though the man could also be such cause to sterility.When a young woman became pregnant, the entire family showedparticular care for her. She was provided whatever she wanted for e.g. toeat since they believed that otherwise, the child might be born handicapped.When a young pregnant woman met someone who was carrying food thatperson had to offer her immediately some piece of that food, otherwise “thechild might be born with handicaps in his/her body” or “the child wouldhave marks in his / her body”.According to the tradition, it is said that the birthmarks have the shapeand the color of the desired food and appear exactly in the part of the bodythat the pregnant woman has touched immediately after she desired. As aresult, she should not touch the face, throat, neck and hands. Also somefoods were prohibited for her such as rabbit, eggs of turkey, pomegranates,etc. (Mitrushi, 1972: 109)The pregnant period was calculated in two ways, by months andby moon in Tirana (AIKP, D.1020: 20), Peshkopi (AIKP, D. 105: 207),Kelmend (Mehmeti, 1981: 209) etc. People say that the boy came to lifeafter nine moons and nine days. Baby girl came to life after nine moons and