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The pandemic left Albanians unmarried. How much did the celebrations fall?

The pandemic left Albanians unmarried. How much did the celebrations fall?

The pandemic, which suddenly fell throughout the world of Albania has changed many plans, as well as many demographic indicators in the country.

The quarantine that lasted from mid-March to early May completely paralyzed life in the country. But the following months were no longer the same, with extra care and limited movement.

Official data show that the number of marriages has shrunk significantly in 2020. According to statistics that Albanian institutions report to Eurostat, last year about 17.5 thousand marriage acts were concluded in the country. This is the lowest number of marriages reported since at least 1990. Compared to the previous year, celebrations fell by 22%.

According to the months, the contraction started in March, when only 640 marriage acts were concluded, from almost 1,700 in the same period of the previous year. In April, at the peak of quarantine, only 71 marriage acts were performed, with a contraction of 96% compared to the same month a year earlier. Even in May, although increasing in April, their number fell by 76% on an annual basis.

The highest number of marriages took place in August, with almost 2300, but again shrinking by about 9% compared to last August, a trend that is related to the return of immigrants for holidays. In the following months, although the restrictions were less, the number of marriages continued to decline (-11.7% in September and -14.3% in October). Only in November was recorded a level similar to the month of the previous year (-4.5%). The return of restrictions in December and the step of immigrants to come as a result of increased demands in the countries where they live, caused in December again the number of marriage acts fell by about 13.4%.

Even before the pandemic, the number of marriages in the country was declining, reflecting the aging of the population, high emigration, lifestyle changes, increasing the age of marriages, etc. They have fallen on average in the last 22-23 thousand years from 30 thousand that were in the early 90s.

The decline of weddings, but above all the ban on the organization of wedding ceremonies has severely damaged the industry associated with it, from companies organizing events, those of clothing, musicians, makeup, etc.

Monetary losses for wedding organization businesses in Albania, due to their inadmissibility, are estimated at around 165 million euros, according to a study by the sector pioneer, Mr. Armand Peza. In his study, the head of the company "Geraldina Sposa", says that there are 27 thousand people in the unemployed sector, or with reduced wages, or with less than 1/4 of the staff of 1,350 event entities, including: salons bridesmaids, cameramen, photographers, musicians, DJs, professional lighting, sound workers, rental cars, etc.

The lack of weddings and events is also felt in the work of Ujvara Hajdari, make-up artist. Her professional makeup focuses on working with public figures, wedding brides, graduates, immigrants and locals, but due to the pandemic, demands have been reduced.

"The pandemic has changed everything, up to the way we wake up in the morning, no longer at events. Of course there are many weddings shifted indefinitely. There are weddings that take place without many people, but the most superstitious ones are getting married. Certainly they did not come from abroad, as they once did, there is a lack here as well. However, the work continues, and of course with measures and masks, because health comes first ", she stated earlier for Monitor.

* Received from Monitor.al