The biggest celebrations happen in the town of Elbasan, in central Albania, which is the spiritual home of the festival. The streets fill with stalls selling bright yellow flowers (mimosa), grilled food, sweets and toys. People put on their best clothes and walk around together. It is a happy, noisy, sunshiny day.
The day is older than most countries on the map - it goes back to ancient times when people thought of nature itself as alive. The yellow flowers stand for the sun returning after winter. People give each other small bunches of mimosa or daffodils and wish each other a happy summer.
The traditional food is ballokume - a soft, round, slightly chewy biscuit made from cornmeal, sugar, butter and egg yolks. Bakeries in Elbasan start making thousands of them in the days before the festival. Children carry them in paper bags and nibble them all day. There is also lots of dried fruit, sweets, and a special drink called bozë made from corn and millet.
Many Albanian families head out into the countryside for a long picnic. Parents pack a basket; kids pack a ball; everyone walks up a hill to find a sunny spot. The food, the flowers and the warm air all say the same thing: winter is over.