Albanian sworn virgins

| accessdate = 2008-10-07 | last=Ian Whitaker |quote=]

Orgins

The tradition of sworn virgins come from the Kanun or formally the Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit ( _en. The Code of Lekë Dukagjini) [ From Turkish "Kanun", which means law. It is originally derived from the Greek kanôn / κανών as in Canon Law)] A set of codes and laws developed by Lekë Dukagjini and used mostly in northern Albania and Kosovo from the 15th century until the 20th century and revived recently after the fall of the communist regime in the early 1990s. "Kanun" is not a religious document Indeed many groups follow it including Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, the Bosnian Church and Muslims.cite web |date=10/05/2008 12:37:38 PM MDT|url = http |title = Tradition of sworn virgins' dying out in Albania|format = HTML |publisher = Associated Press| accessdate = 2008-10-06 | last=Elena Becatoros |quote=]

The Kanun dictates that families must be patrilineal (meaning wealth is inherited through a family's men) and patrilocal (upon marriage, a woman moves into the household of her husband's family)cite web |date=2008 |url = http://www.jolique.com/gender/crossing_boundaries.htm|title = Crossing Boundaries:Albania's sworn virgins|format = HTML |publisher = jolique| accessdate = 2008-10-07 | last= |quote=] , women are treated very much like property of the family. Under the Kanun women are given very little rights. They can't smoke, wear a watch, vote in their local elections, cannot buy land, there are many jobs they are not permitted to hold; they cannot even enter many establishments.cite web |date=August 11, 2007|url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/10/AR2007081002158.html|title = The Sacrifices of Albania's 'Sworn Virgins'|format = HTML |publisher = Washington Post| accessdate = 2008-10-07 | last=Joshua Zumbrun |quote=] In the actual Kanun is a quote, "A woman is a sack made to endure".

Why women become sworn virgins

There are many reasons why a woman would have taken this vow. Some wanted to avoid an arranged marriagecite web | url = http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article3137518.ece | title = ‘Sworn virgins’ dying out as Albanian girls reject manly role | author = David Wolman | publisher = TimesOnline | date = January 6, 2008 | accessdate = 2008-10-08] while others were forced by their father because there were no sons left to look after the family. Some even take the oath after being in bad marriage and want to swear off men. Taking the vow to become a man was a way to avoid an arranged marriage without dishonoring the groom’s family and creating a blood feud. Breaking the vow was once punishable by death but it is doubtful this punishment is still carried out now. Many sworn virgins today still refuse to go back on their oath, not out of fear of punishment but because the community would still reject them for breaking their vow.

Becoming a man

Families in need of a male sibling to inherit the families wealth take the vow at a very early age. While others take the oath later in life. The oath is usually sworn in front of a town's elders, though some women take the oath privately signaling their choice by cutting their hair and wearing mens clothes. Once the vow is taken, the woman becomes a man and in society she will be referred to as a he. She will work like a man, dress like a man, talk like a man, and the community will treat her like a man.

Present day

In modern Albania the practice is slowly dying out. With the end of communism in Albania western culture with its woman's rights has given women choices other than becoming a sworn virgin.cite web |date=June 27, 2008|url = http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/women-have-to-swap-genders-to-survive/2008/06/26/1214472673664.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1|title = At home with Albania's last sworn virgins|format = HTML |publisher = Sydney Morning Herald| accessdate = 2008-10-07 | last= |quote=] Many young girls respect the sworn virgins but would never take such an oath themselves. Currently there are less than forty sworn virgins left in Albania, and perhaps a few in neighboring countries, and most of these are over fifty years old.

External links

* [http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/06/25/world/20080625VIRGINS_index.html New York Times Photo Essay]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/womanshour/02/2007_23_wed.shtml BBC radio show on sworn virgins]
* [http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/places/culture-places/beliefs-and-traditions/albania_swornvirgins.html Sworn Virgins - National Geographic Film (approx. 4 min.)]

References