Today, May 1st, marks 35 years since the historic reconciliation gathering at Verrat e Llukës in the Municipality of Deçan—an event etched deeply into the collective memory of Albanians.
On that spring day in 1990, around half a million Albanians came together in a monumental act of unity and healing. Over 100 blood feuds and inter-family disputes were forgiven during the gathering, a powerful symbol of national solidarity and the will for peace.
The movement began earlier that year, on February 2, 1990, in Lumëbardhë of Deçan, spearheaded by students and former political prisoners from the Dukagjin region. It quickly grew into a mass civil movement under the visionary leadership of Anton Çetta, a revered folklorist and activist. Thanks to their tireless efforts, more than 1,000 feuds were reconciled in the months that followed.
The event at Verrat e Llukës remains one of the most sacred acts of civic courage in Albanian history—where the spirit of forgiveness rose above centuries-old wounds, lighting a path toward collective strength and national dignity.
