Dollia

What it is

Dollia belongs to the table. It is the shared act of lifting a glass and touching it to another's, done in Albania at family meals and at larger social occasions. The practice is part of Albanian hospitality: through the toast, a host greets guests, relatives and friends and gives them a place of honour. Both men and women sit at these tables, though the sources describe the ritual itself as something male participants are expected to perform. Dollia travels with celebration, so it appears at weddings, at anniversaries, and at the many other gatherings where Albanians eat and drink together.

How a toast runs

The host starts. He calls out to the company, asking whether they are ready, and the guests answer before the glasses go up. One man is then chosen as dollibashi, the toast master, usually someone senior at the table. He names a guest with a set phrase about the first courtesy of the house; that guest answers "Urdhër dollibash" and drinks. The glass is emptied. Anyone who does not do so can be left out of the table. From there the toasts follow rank: after the dollibashi himself, the second most important person drinks, and then the rest in turn.

Where it is strongest

Dollia is found across Albania, but it is strongest in the south. Skrapar, Përmet, Gramsh, Berat and the Labëria region are the places named first, and the scholar Sherif Bundo, who wrote a monograph titled Dollia shqiptare, institucioni shqiptar i mikpritjes, records it as most widespread in southern districts that also include Tepelenë, Mallakastër, Librazhd, Pogradec, Devoll and Kolonjë. Northern Albania knows the custom too, for instance around Pukë. Local names differ: people in Skrapar call it zabërzan, people in Gramsh call it sulovarçe, and in the Mokra area it is kept in a more formal way.

Rakia and the table

Rakia, a fruit brandy, stands at the centre of the custom. An Albanian saying holds that to speak of dolli is to speak of rakia, and the two are named in one breath. A full glass is expected, and emptying it is how a guest accepts the welcome being offered. Because of that, dollia works as etiquette as much as it works as a drink: it settles who speaks, who answers, and in what order, so that a large table of relatives, neighbours and visitors knows how to honour one another.

Recognition and change

The custom has come down through the generations, and people who keep it trace it to medieval times, an origin that rests on tradition rather than on record. In July 2025 Albania's Ministry of Economy, Culture and Innovation granted dollia heritage status at national level, a step that placed a living table practice among the country's protected traditions. Families still hold it at weddings and anniversaries, and the rules are passed on by older men at the table rather than by any written code. The regional variants show how one idea is dressed differently from district to district.

How Dollia is kept

A host gathers family or guests around a table. He calls out to them and they answer, then the glasses are lifted. A senior man is named dollibashi and takes charge of the toasts. He addresses one person with a traditional phrase; that person replies "Urdhër dollibash", drinks the glass empty, and the toast moves on. There is an order to it: after the dollibashi's own toast, the next most important guest drinks, then the others, each named in turn. Men are traditionally held to these rules, and a guest who leaves a glass full risks being left out. Rakia is the usual drink.

When and where

Dollia is not fixed to a date. It is kept whenever people gather to eat and drink, most visibly at weddings and anniversaries, and at other celebrations that bring relatives, neighbours and visitors to one table. The occasion sets the timing rather than the calendar.

It belongs to Albania, and it is strongest in the south, in places such as Skrapar, Përmet, Gramsh, Berat and the Labëria region. It is also known further north, for example around Pukë.

What Dollia means

For those who keep it, dollia is how a table shows respect. The host opens the toasts and, through the dollibashi, singles out each guest in turn, so that everyone present is named and welcomed. Emptying the glass says that the welcome is accepted; refusing does not simply decline a drink, it steps outside the company. The full glass and the shared bottle carry the idea that hospitality is a duty and the guest stands in a place of honour.

Questions people ask about Dollia

See also

As-salamu alaykumA traditional Arabic greeting of peace exchanged in daily life and prayerKanunAlbanian customary law kept by word of mouth, centred on honour and the given wordBesaA pledge of honour that an Albanian gives once and must never breakBread and saltBread and salt offered to a guest: a welcome kept from Russia to Albania

Good reading and sources

• Dollia on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-14.