{"id":3280,"date":"2026-04-27T17:16:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:16:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taichi.al\/?p=3280"},"modified":"2026-04-27T17:43:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:43:50","slug":"cfare-me-mesoi-nje-gjyshe-shqiptare-per-ventuzen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taichi.al\/sq\/2026\/04\/27\/what-albanian-grandmother-taught-me-about-cupping\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00c7far\u00eb M\u00eb M\u00ebsoi nj\u00eb Gjyshe Shqiptare p\u00ebr Ventuz\u00ebn"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"3280\" class=\"elementor elementor-3280\" data-elementor-settings=\"{&quot;ha_cmc_init_switcher&quot;:&quot;no&quot;}\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b2c76d3 e-flex e-con-boxed wpr-particle-no wpr-jarallax-no wpr-parallax-no wpr-sticky-section-no e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"b2c76d3\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_ha_eqh_enable&quot;:false}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-531796b exad-sticky-section-no exad-glass-effect-no elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"531796b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n<style>\n\/* Minimal styling \u2014 let the theme handle fonts, sizing, and colors *\/\n\n.tag-line {\n  font-size: 0.9em;\n  color: #888;\n  margin-bottom: 0.5em;\n  letter-spacing: 0.3px;\n}\n\n.subtitle {\n  font-style: italic;\n  color: #5A4A40;\n  margin-bottom: 0.5em;\n}\n\n.byline {\n  color: #888;\n  margin-bottom: 2em;\n  padding-bottom: 1em;\n  border-bottom: 1px solid #f0f0f0;\n}\n\n.divider {\n  text-align: center;\n  font-size: 1.5em;\n  color: #E8177A;\n  margin: 2em 0;\n  letter-spacing: 1rem;\n  opacity: 0.5;\n}\n\n.highlight-box {\n  background: #FDE8F2;\n  border-left: 4px solid #E8177A;\n  padding: 1.2em 1.5em;\n  margin: 1.5em 0;\n}\n\n.highlight-box-label {\n  font-size: 0.8em;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  letter-spacing: 1px;\n  color: #E8177A;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  margin-bottom: 0.5em;\n}\n\n.cta-box {\n  background: #049A43;\n  color: #ffffff;\n  padding: 1.5em;\n  text-align: center;\n  margin: 2em 0 0;\n  border-radius: 4px;\n}\n\n.cta-box p {\n  margin: 0 0 1em;\n  color: #ffffff;\n}\n\n.cta-btn {\n  display: inline-block;\n  background: #E8177A;\n  color: #ffffff !important;\n  font-weight: 700;\n  letter-spacing: 1px;\n  text-transform: uppercase;\n  padding: 0.8em 2em;\n  text-decoration: none;\n  border-radius: 4px;\n}\n\n.cta-btn:hover {\n  background: #c01266;\n}\n\n.cta-info {\n  display: block;\n  margin-top: 0.8em;\n  font-size: 0.9em;\n  opacity: 0.85;\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<p class=\"tag-line\">Nj\u00eb Let\u00ebr nga Studioja \u00b7 Yang Wang<\/p>\n\n<h1>\u00c7far\u00eb M\u00eb M\u00ebsoi nj\u00eb Gjyshe Shqiptare p\u00ebr Ventuz\u00ebn<\/h1>\n\n<p class=\"subtitle\">Nj\u00eb reflektim personal mbi tradit\u00ebn, kujtes\u00ebn dhe at\u00eb q\u00eb ka qen\u00eb gjithmon\u00eb n\u00eb sht\u00ebpi.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"byline\">Nga Yang Wang \u00b7 Chinese Massage \u2013 Tai Chi Tirana<\/p>\n\n<p>Ishte nj\u00eb pasdite e qet\u00eb e m\u00ebrkure n\u00eb studio kur e vura re p\u00ebr her\u00eb t\u00eb par\u00eb.<\/p>\n\n<p>Nj\u00eb kliente \u2014 nj\u00eb m\u00ebsuese nga Tirana, n\u00eb t\u00eb pes\u00ebdhjetat \u2014 ishte shtrir\u00eb n\u00eb tavolin\u00eb pas seanc\u00ebs s\u00eb ventuz\u00ebs. Shenjat ishin nga ato me ngjyr\u00eb vjollc\u00eb t\u00eb err\u00ebt, ato q\u00eb dalin n\u00eb nj\u00eb trup q\u00eb ka mbartur tension prej shum\u00eb koh\u00ebsh. Ajo i pa n\u00eb pasqyr\u00eb dhe qeshi.<\/p>\n\n<p>Pastaj tha di\u00e7ka q\u00eb m\u00eb ndaloi.<\/p>\n\n<p>\"Gjyshja ime na e b\u00ebnte k\u00ebt\u00eb kur ishim t\u00eb vegj\u00ebl. Me kupa qelqi. N\u00eb fshat.\"<\/p>\n\n<p>N\u00eb Kin\u00eb, nga vij un\u00eb, kjo nuk do t\u00eb kishte habitur ask\u00ebnd. \u00c7do gjyshe kineze e di p\u00ebr \u62d4\u7f50 <em>ba guan<\/em>, \"t\u00ebrheqja e kupave\". Por kur erdha n\u00eb Shqip\u00ebri n\u00eb vitin 2020, kisha menduar se po sillja di\u00e7ka t\u00eb re. Di\u00e7ka t\u00eb huaj. Nj\u00eb dhurat\u00eb kineze p\u00ebr nj\u00eb vend kurioz.<\/p>\n\n<p>At\u00eb pasdite, fillova t\u00eb b\u00ebja pyetje.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"divider\">\u262f<\/div>\n\n<h2>Fillova ta Pyesja Gjithk\u00ebnd<\/h2>\n\n<p>N\u00eb jav\u00ebt q\u00eb pasuan, pyeta gjithk\u00ebnd. Klient\u00ebt e mi. Fqinj\u00ebt n\u00eb Rrug\u00ebn Astrit Sulejman Balluku. Burrin te dyqani i frutave. Gruan q\u00eb mban qebaptoren n\u00eb qoshe.<\/p>\n\n<p>P\u00ebrgjigjja ishte gati gjithmon\u00eb e nj\u00ebjta. <em>\"Ah po \u2014 kupa. Ose ventuza. Gjyshja ime. Tezja ime. N\u00eb fshat.\"<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"translation-block\">In nearly every Albanian family, somewhere, there was a memory. Someone's <em>n\u00ebn\u00eb<\/em> who would warm a glass cup over a candle and place it on a sore back. Always glass cups. Always at home. Always with the same purpose: to pull the badness out of the body.<\/p>\n\n<p>Por kjo ishte ajo q\u00eb m\u00eb ngat\u00ebrronte.<\/p>\n\n<p>N\u00eb fshat, praktika ishte e gjall\u00eb \u2014 n\u00eb heshtje, n\u00eb kuzhina, prej gjysheve. N\u00eb Tiran\u00eb, n\u00eb Durr\u00ebs, n\u00eb Shkod\u00ebr, gati askush nuk e b\u00ebnte m\u00eb. Njer\u00ebzit flisnin p\u00ebr t\u00eb ashtu si\u00e7 do t\u00eb flisje p\u00ebr nj\u00eb recet\u00eb t\u00eb vjet\u00ebr \u2014 me dashuri, por me nj\u00eb distanc\u00eb t\u00eb vog\u00ebl.<\/p>\n\n<p>N\u00eb Kin\u00eb, ventuza nuk \u00ebsht\u00eb zhdukur kurr\u00eb. \u00c7do lagje ka dik\u00eb q\u00eb e b\u00ebn. At\u00ebher\u00eb pse, n\u00eb Shqip\u00ebri, ishte b\u00ebr\u00eb \"di\u00e7ka e gjysheve\"? Pse qytetet e kishin l\u00ebshuar at\u00eb q\u00eb fshatrat e kishin ruajtur me aq kujdes?<\/p>\n\n<h2>\u00c7far\u00eb Gjeta At\u00eb Nat\u00eb<\/h2>\n\n<p>Nuk jam historiane. Jam praktikuese. Por ajo pyetje m\u00eb ndoqi, dhe nj\u00eb nat\u00eb t\u00eb mart\u00ebn u ula me kompjuterin tim, b\u00ebra nj\u00eb filxhan \u00e7aj dhe fillova t\u00eb lexoja.<\/p>\n\n<p>Ajo q\u00eb gjeta m\u00eb befasoi m\u00eb shum\u00eb sesa \u00e7do gj\u00eb q\u00eb ndonj\u00eb klient m\u00eb kishte th\u00ebn\u00eb ndonj\u00ebher\u00eb.<\/p>\n\n<h4>Hipokrati<\/h4>\n\n<p>Befasia e par\u00eb ishte Hipokrati i Kosit \u2014 i lindur rreth vitit 460 p.K., \"babai i mjek\u00ebsis\u00eb\". Ai e praktikonte ventuz\u00ebn. Jo si kuriozitet. Jo si mjek\u00ebsi popullore. Si nj\u00eb nga mjetet e tij kryesore. E p\u00ebrdorte p\u00ebr dhimbje shpine, dhimbje qafe, probleme t\u00eb mushk\u00ebrive, dhimbje menstruale \u2014 t\u00eb nj\u00ebjtat gj\u00ebra q\u00eb trajtoj n\u00eb seancat e mia sot.<\/p>\n\n<p>U ula aty me \u00e7ajin tim, duke menduar: <em>Hipokrati? Greku? Greqia nuk \u00ebsht\u00eb larg Tiran\u00ebs. Mund t\u00eb shkosh atje me makin\u00eb n\u00eb pak or\u00eb.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<h4>Galeni dhe nj\u00eb Rrug\u00eb Romake P\u00ebrmes Ilirikut<\/h4>\n\n<p>Galeni i Pergamonit (129\u2013200 e.s.) ishte mjeku m\u00eb me ndikim n\u00eb historin\u00eb evropiane para Rilindjes. Trajtoi perandor\u00eb romak\u00eb. Ai ishte nj\u00eb praktikues i pasionuar i ventuz\u00ebs dhe gjakmarrjes. Madje kritikoi publikisht mjek\u00eb t\u00eb tjer\u00eb q\u00eb nuk e praktikonin ventuz\u00ebn sa duhej.<\/p>\n\n<p>Dhe ja \u00e7far\u00eb nuk kisha kuptuar: Perandoria Romake mb\u00ebrriti n\u00eb Shqip\u00ebri. Provinca quhej Iliriku. Mjek\u00eb romak\u00eb t\u00eb edukuar me metodat e Galenit ecnin n\u00eb t\u00eb nj\u00ebjtat rrug\u00eb ku un\u00eb eci tani. Ata b\u00ebnin ventuz\u00eb n\u00eb t\u00eb nj\u00ebjtat qytete ku gjyshet e klient\u00ebve t\u00eb mi \u2014 shekuj m\u00eb von\u00eb \u2014 do t'ua b\u00ebnin nip\u00ebrve t\u00eb tyre.<\/p>\n\n<p>Tradita nuk kishte ardhur nga gjetk\u00eb. Kishte qen\u00eb gjithmon\u00eb k\u00ebtu.<\/p>\n\n<h4>Zbulimi i Berberhanes<\/h4>\n\n<p>Befasia e tret\u00eb \u00ebsht\u00eb ajo p\u00ebr t\u00eb cil\u00ebn i tregoj tashm\u00eb gjithkujt.<\/p>\n\n<p>N\u00eb Evrop\u00ebn mesjetare, ventuza dhe gjakmarrja u zhvendos\u00ebn n\u00eb manastire. Murgjit i kryenin ato p\u00ebr shekuj \u2014 derisa n\u00eb vitin 1163, nj\u00eb koncil i Kish\u00ebs vendosi se prift\u00ebrinjt\u00eb nuk duhej t\u00eb nxirrnin gjak. K\u00ebshtu praktika kaloi te berber\u00ebt.<\/p>\n\n<p>P\u00ebr gjasht\u00ebqind vitet q\u00eb pasuan, berber\u00ebt n\u00eb t\u00eb gjith\u00eb Evrop\u00ebn nuk pritnin vet\u00ebm flok\u00eb. Ata hiqnin dh\u00ebmb\u00eb. B\u00ebnin ventuz\u00eb te pacient\u00ebt. Nxirrnin gjak. Njiheshin si <strong>berber\u00eb-kirurg\u00eb.<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"highlight-box\">\n<div class=\"highlight-box-label\">Simboli i Fshehur<\/div>\n<p>Kur nj\u00eb berber-kirurg mesjetar kryente nj\u00eb gjakmarrje, ai i jepte pacientit nj\u00eb shkop druri p\u00ebr ta mbajtur fort. Pas procedur\u00ebs, fashat e bardha t\u00eb ngjyera me gjak vareshin jasht\u00eb dyqanit p\u00ebr t'u thar\u00eb. P\u00eblhur\u00eb e bardh\u00eb, e ngjyer t\u00eb kuqe, duke u p\u00ebrdredhur n\u00eb er\u00eb.<\/p>\n<p>P\u00ebrfundimisht nj\u00eb simbol i pikturuar z\u00ebvend\u00ebsoi fashat. Nj\u00eb shtyll\u00eb druri. Me viza t\u00eb kuqe e t\u00eb bardha.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ajo shenj\u00eb nuk u zhduk asnj\u00ebher\u00eb.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<p>Dua q\u00eb \u00e7do shqiptar q\u00eb po e lexon k\u00ebt\u00eb t\u00eb b\u00ebj\u00eb di\u00e7ka p\u00ebr mua.<\/p>\n\n<p>Her\u00ebn tjet\u00ebr q\u00eb t\u00eb ecni n\u00ebp\u00ebr Tiran\u00eb \u2014 ose Durr\u00ebs, Shkod\u00ebr, Kor\u00e7\u00eb \u2014 num\u00ebroni berberhanet. Shikoni shtyllat spirale t\u00eb kuqe e t\u00eb bardha q\u00eb rrotullohen jasht\u00eb tyre. \u00c7do nj\u00ebra prej tyre \u00ebsht\u00eb nj\u00eb reklam\u00eb 900-vje\u00e7are p\u00ebr ventuz\u00ebn dhe gjakmarrjen. Ne thjesht pushuam ta shihnim.<\/p>\n\n<h4>Pes\u00ebqind Vjet Hijama<\/h4>\n\n<p>P\u00ebr pes\u00eb shekuj e gjysm\u00eb \u2014 nga viti 1385 deri n\u00eb 1912 \u2014 Shqip\u00ebria ishte pjes\u00eb e Perandoris\u00eb Osmane. Mjek\u00ebsia osmane kishte nj\u00eb tradit\u00eb t\u00eb thell\u00eb t\u00eb ventuz\u00ebs, t\u00eb quajtur <em>hijama<\/em>. Kirurgu turk Sherefedin Sabunxhuolu shkroi me holl\u00ebsi p\u00ebr t\u00eb n\u00eb shek. XV. Teknikat e tij praktikoheshin n\u00eb \u00e7do qytet t\u00eb madh osman. Tirana. Shkodra. Berati. Gjirokastra.<\/p>\n\n<p>Pra, kur nj\u00eb gjyshe shqiptare ngrohte nj\u00eb kup\u00eb qelqi dhe e vendoste mbi shpin\u00ebn e nipit t\u00eb saj n\u00eb vitin 1962, ajo po b\u00ebnte di\u00e7ka q\u00eb gjyshja e saj e kishte m\u00ebsuar nga gjyshja e saj, n\u00eb nj\u00eb vij\u00eb t\u00eb pand\u00ebrprer\u00eb q\u00eb shkonte p\u00ebrmes <em>hijama<\/em>osmane, mjek\u00ebsis\u00eb bizantine, mjek\u00ebve romak\u00eb, Galenit dhe Hipokratit.<\/p>\n\n<p>Dy mij\u00eb e pes\u00ebqind vjet praktik\u00eb. Mbi k\u00ebt\u00eb tok\u00eb.<\/p>\n\n<p>Erdha k\u00ebtu n\u00eb vitin 2020 duke menduar se po sillja nj\u00eb dhurat\u00eb kineze. Kisha gabuar. Po ktheja di\u00e7ka q\u00eb kishte qen\u00eb gjithmon\u00eb n\u00eb sht\u00ebpi.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"divider\">\u262f<\/div>\n\n<h2>\u00c7far\u00eb Dua t\u00eb Dini<\/h2>\n\n<p>Kjo \u00ebsht\u00eb ajo q\u00eb e dua m\u00eb shum\u00eb te Shqip\u00ebria, dhe nj\u00eb nga arsyet pse kam q\u00ebndruar.<\/p>\n\n<p>Vendi \u00ebsht\u00eb bujar n\u00eb nj\u00eb m\u00ebnyr\u00eb q\u00eb m\u00eb befasoi kur arrita p\u00ebr her\u00eb t\u00eb par\u00eb. <em>Mikpritja<\/em> \u00ebsht\u00eb reale k\u00ebtu. Njer\u00ebzit m\u00eb ofruan ushqim para se t\u00eb dinin emrin tim. Miq\u00ebsi para se ta kisha fituar. M\u00eb m\u00ebsuan shqip duke p\u00ebrs\u00ebritur fjal\u00eb me durim, ashtu si\u00e7 do t\u00eb m\u00ebsonte gjyshja ime n\u00eb Liaoning nj\u00eb f\u00ebmij\u00eb.<\/p>\n\n<p>Por \u00e7far\u00eb nuk e prisja ishte q\u00eb Shqip\u00ebria do ta mir\u00ebpriste edhe pun\u00ebn time n\u00eb k\u00ebt\u00eb m\u00ebnyr\u00eb \u2014 si di\u00e7ka t\u00eb njohur. Jo t\u00eb \u00e7uditshme. Jo t\u00eb huaj. Si di\u00e7ka q\u00eb p\u00ebrshtatej.<\/p>\n\n<p>Kur ulem me nj\u00eb klient n\u00eb studio dhe vendos kupat, nuk po prezantoj asgj\u00eb t\u00eb re. Po vazhdoj nj\u00eb bised\u00eb midis trupave shqiptar\u00eb dhe k\u00ebtyre teknikave q\u00eb filloi kur romak\u00ebt nd\u00ebrtuan rrug\u00ebn e tyre p\u00ebrmes Ilirikut. Gjyshet nuk gabuan kur e b\u00ebn\u00eb. Qytetet nuk gabojn\u00eb kur kthehen tek ajo.<\/p>\n\n<p>Dhe nuk jam un\u00eb ajo q\u00eb e solli. Jam ajo q\u00eb rast\u00ebsisht njeh form\u00ebn e saj moderne kineze \u2014 teorin\u00eb e meridianeve, sakt\u00ebsin\u00eb diagnostikuese, pajisjet e pastra \u2014 dhe jam mir\u00ebnjoh\u00ebse, \u00e7do dit\u00eb, q\u00eb Shqip\u00ebria m\u00eb ka mir\u00ebpritur ta sjell k\u00ebt\u00eb form\u00eb p\u00ebrs\u00ebri n\u00eb sht\u00ebpi.<\/p>\n\n<p>N\u00ebse gjyshja juaj e b\u00ebnte <em>kupa<\/em> n\u00eb fshat \u2014 po, kjo \u00ebsht\u00eb e nj\u00ebjta gj\u00eb.<\/p>\n\n<p>N\u00ebse gjithmon\u00eb e keni menduar ventuz\u00ebn si di\u00e7ka ekzotike nga Kina \u2014 po, \u00ebsht\u00eb gjithashtu greke, dhe romake, dhe osmane, dhe shqiptare.<\/p>\n\n<p>N\u00ebse keni nj\u00eb qaf\u00eb t\u00eb ngrir\u00eb pas shum\u00eb or\u00ebsh para ekranit \u2014 at\u00ebher\u00eb, Hipokrati do ta dinte se \u00e7far\u00eb t\u00eb b\u00ebnte. Po ashtu edhe gjyshja juaj. Po ashtu edhe un\u00eb.<\/p>\n\n<p>Ejani t\u00eb na takoni, n\u00eb Rrug\u00ebn Astrit Sulejman Balluku. Tradita \u00ebsht\u00eb m\u00eb e vjet\u00ebr se godina. Dhe \u00ebsht\u00eb e juaja.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"cta-box\">\n<p><strong>Vazhdoni Tradit\u00ebn<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rezervoni nj\u00eb seanc\u00eb ventuze te Chinese Massage \u2013 Tai Chi Tirana<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.taichi.al\/sq\/rezervo-tani\/\" class=\"cta-btn\">Rezervo tani<\/a>\n<span class=\"cta-info\">Ose telefononi: 068 541 4141<\/span>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Letter from the Studio \u00b7 Yang Wang What an Albanian Grandmother Taught Me About Cupping A personal reflection on tradition, memory, and what has always been home. By Yang Wang \u00b7 Chinese Massage \u2013 Tai Chi Tirana It was a quiet Wednesday afternoon at the studio when I first noticed. A client \u2014 a teacher from Tirana, in her fifties \u2014 was lying on the table after her cupping session. The marks were that deep purple kind, the ones that show up on a body that has been carrying tension for too long. She looked at them in the mirror and laughed. Then she said something that stopped me. &#8220;My grandmother used to do this for us. With glass cups. In the village.&#8221; In China, where I am from, this would not have surprised anyone. Every Chinese grandmother knows about \u62d4\u7f50 \u2014 ba guan, &#8220;pulling cups&#8221;. But when I came to Albania in 2020, I had assumed I was bringing something new. Something foreign. A Chinese gift to a curious country. That afternoon, I started asking questions. \u262f I Started Asking Everyone In the weeks that followed, I asked everyone. My clients. My neighbors on Rruga Astrit Sulejman Balluku. The man at the fruit stand. The woman who runs the qebaptore around the corner. The answer was almost always the same. &#8220;Ah yes \u2014 kupa. Or ventuza. My grandmother. My aunt. In the village.&#8221; In nearly every Albanian family, somewhere, there was a memory. Someone&#8217;s n\u00ebn\u00eb who would warm a glass cup over a candle and place it on a sore back. Always glass cups. Always at home. Always with the same purpose: to pull the badness out of the body. But here was the thing that puzzled me. In the villages, the practice was alive \u2014 quietly, in kitchens, by grandmothers. In Tirana, in Durr\u00ebs, in Shkod\u00ebr, almost no one was doing it anymore. People spoke about it the way you might speak about an old recipe \u2014 with affection, but with a small distance. In China, cupping has never gone away. Every neighborhood has someone who does it. So why, in Albania, had it become a &#8220;grandmother&#8217;s thing&#8221;? Why had the cities let go of something the villages had so carefully kept? What I Found That Night I am not a historian. I am a practitioner. But that question stayed with me, and one Tuesday night I sat down with my computer, made a cup of tea, and started reading. What I found surprised me more than anything any client had ever told me. Hippocrates The first surprise was Hippocrates of Kos \u2014 born around 460 BC, the &#8220;father of medicine&#8221;. He practiced cupping. Not as a curiosity. Not as folk medicine. As one of his main tools. He used it for back pain, neck pain, lung problems, period pain \u2014 the same things I treat in sessions today. I sat there with my tea, thinking: Hippocrates? The Greek? Greece is not far from Tirana. You can drive there in a few hours. Galen, and a Roman Road Through Illyricum Galen of Pergamon (129\u2013200 AD) was the most influential doctor in European history before the Renaissance. He treated Roman emperors. He was a passionate practitioner of cupping and bloodletting. He even publicly criticized other doctors who did not practice cupping enough. And here is what I had not understood: the Roman Empire reached Albania. The province was called Illyricum. Roman doctors trained in Galen&#8217;s methods walked the same roads I walk now. They cupped patients in the same towns where my clients&#8217; grandmothers \u2014 centuries later \u2014 would cup their grandchildren. The tradition had not come from somewhere else. It had been here. The Barbershop Revelation The third surprise is the one I keep telling everyone about. In medieval Europe, cupping and bloodletting moved into the monasteries. Monks performed them for centuries \u2014 until 1163, when a Church council decided priests should not be drawing blood. So the practice moved to the barbers. For the next six hundred years, barbers across Europe did not just cut hair. They pulled teeth. They cupped patients. They drew blood. They were known as barber-surgeons. The Hidden Symbol When a medieval barber-surgeon performed a bloodletting, he gave the patient a wooden stick to grip. After the procedure, the bloody white bandages were hung outside the shop to dry. White cloth, stained red, twisting in the wind. Eventually a painted symbol replaced the bandages. A wooden pole. Striped red and white. That sign never disappeared. I want every Albanian reading this to do something for me. The next time you walk through Tirana \u2014 or Durr\u00ebs, or Shkod\u00ebr, or Kor\u00e7\u00eb \u2014 count the barbershops. Look at the spinning red-and-white poles outside them. Every single one is a 900-year-old advertisement for cupping and bloodletting. We just stopped seeing it. Five Hundred Years of Hijama For five and a half centuries \u2014 from 1385 to 1912 \u2014 Albania was part of the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman medicine had a deep tradition of cupping, called hijama. The Turkish surgeon \u015eerefeddin Sabuncuo\u011flu wrote in detail about it in the fifteenth century. His techniques were practiced in every major Ottoman city. Tirana. Shkod\u00ebr. Berat. Gjirokast\u00ebr. So when an Albanian grandmother heated a glass cup and placed it on her grandchild&#8217;s back in 1962, she was doing something her own grandmother had learned from her own grandmother, in an unbroken line going back through Ottoman hijama, Byzantine medicine, Roman doctors, Galen, and Hippocrates. Two and a half thousand years of practice. On this soil. I came here in 2020 thinking I was bringing a Chinese gift. I was wrong. I was returning something that had been home all along. \u262f What I Want You to Know This is what I love most about Albania, and one of the reasons I have stayed. The country is generous in a way that surprised me when I first arrived. Mikpritja \u2014 the welcome you give a guest \u2014 is real here. <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.taichi.al\/sq\/2026\/04\/27\/what-albanian-grandmother-taught-me-about-cupping\/\">LEXO M\u00cb SHUM\u00cb<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What an Albanian Grandmother Taught Me About Cupping - Chinese Massage - Tai Chi Tirana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cupping has been practiced in Albania for 2,500 years\u2014from Hippocrates to your grandmother&#039;s kitchen. 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