Dita e Verës

Dita e Verës or Verëza (English "Summer Day") is an Albanian spring festival and pagan holiday celebrated (also officially in Albania) on March 14 of the Gregorian calendar (March 1 of the Julian calendar), for the beginning of the spring-summer period.

In the old Albanian calendar, Verëza corresponds to the first three days of the new year (Albanian: Kryeviti, Kryet e Motmotit, Motmoti i Ri, Nata e Mojit) and marks the end of the winter season (the second half of the year) and the beginning of the "summer" season (the first half of the year) on the spring equinox (Albanian: sadita-nata), the period of the year when daylight is longer than night. Dita e Verës is a chief festivity in traditional Albanian religion, celebrating the strengthening of the Sun (Dielli) and the renewal of nature, also respecting the vegetation and the Earth (Dheu).