The crowd prepares for the Summer Day Concert outside the Castle walls in Elbasan, Albania

Most sources link this festival to a pagan tradition the held that the Mountain Muse (Zana Malit: goddess of hunting, forests, and all of nature) would emerge from her temple on the outskirts of Elbasan every year on the 14th of March. Like many springtime festivals, the Summer Day festival symbolizes rebirth and renewal. Since most ancient festivals follow a lunar calendar, the idea of an ancient ritual occurring on a specific calendar day struck me as odd