Crete’s Rizitika Songs Pass Oral History on to New Generations

Rizitika songs are the oldest type of music in Crete, originating from the western part of the Greek island, but now heard in central and eastern Crete as well.

Rizitika, which are sung mostly a capella, in the mountains of Crete, by a group of men, tell stories about events that took place as long as 900 years ago.

The origin of these songs, which resemble the epic poems of old, which were often sung, is unknown, yet they seem to be rooted at least as far back as in Byzantine times and continued through the Venetian domination of the island.

The word rizitika (ριζίτικα) derives from the word ρίζα (root) and could be translated as “root songs,” relating the stories of the past, with serious sections which have elements of pain and loss.

Another view is that rizitiko (singular) derives from the root (foot) of Psiloritis Mountain.

An important characteristic of rizitika is the peculiarity of the melodies, since the songs have no formal structure or style.

Rizitika themes

Rizitika are essentially oral histories and traditions that are passed down to the next generation in song. In a rizitiko the singer passes the rich wisdom of the ages down to the next generation.

A characteristic rizitiko is a serious song which revolves around painful subjects — the pain of love, the agony of death, or the mourning of a lost one.

Some rizitika are lighter, however, including songs sung at the table, or along the road, while they are also sung at weddings, baptisms and other celebrations.

In some cases, the subject is heroic — relating the many stories of those who fought the Greek revolution against the Ottomans, or other historical figures.

Rizitika can also be allegories or contain themes dealing with exile, religion, love, or nature, while some others are topical.

Rizitika are not for dancing to

These particular Cretan songs are not made for dancing to. They are sung in 32 melodies, with refrains, or half a verse, first sung by the lead singer and then repeated in chorus form.

Rhyming is not essential and the verse is not always fifteen syllables. Rizitika are rarely accompanied by lute, violin or lyre, like the rest of Cretan music usually is.

Nowadays, Cretan songs that are not actual rizitika are often confused with the real thing and sung on many different social occasions.

Monumental rizitika songs

Some rizitika have become cornerstones of Cretan music. One of these is “Digenes,” which speaks about the fearless Cretan heart.

“Digenes is dying, and the earth is terrified
and the grave slab shudders, how is it going to cover him?
Because from where he lies, mighty words he utters.
– If the earth had treads and the sky had grips
I would step on the treads, I would grab the grips
to climb up to the sky, to sit there,
to shake the heavens.”

Another rizitiko about the Cretan War of 1644-1669 testifies to the discord among the Christians during the war.

It is a historic theme that explains the mass conversions to Islam that followed the fall of the castle in 1669.

“Castle, where are your towers and your belfries
and where are your braves, your fine lads?
My own braves, the fine lads of mine
the black earth enjoys them, in the stygian Hades.
I have no wrath for Turks, neither rage for Charon,
I only have wrath and rage for the traitor
who betrayed them.”

The best known rizitiko, however, tells the grim story of a 16th century vendetta between the Giannaris and the Mousouros families:

“Jesus, I will gird the sword and I will grab the spear
I will step down to Omalos to the passage of Mousouros
to pull out the silver sword and the golden spear
to make mothers without sons, women without men.”

A different version of the song appeared in the 20th century with new lyrics speaking about war and political struggle:

“When will the skies have stars again, when will be February
to take my rifle, the beautiful bandolier
to step down to Omalos, to the passage of Mousouros
to make mothers without sons, women without men.”

Comments

Ten Unforgettable Things to Do Around Syntagma Square in Athens

Syntagma Square, Athens. Credit: Public Domain Syntagma Square has literally been the very heart of Athens ever since the city became the capital of the modern Greek state. With the Greek Parliament building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier looming over it, it is rich with history and is the place where most major events of the last two centuries have taken place. Its name in Greek means “Constitution Square,” a name granted by Greece’s first modern royal, King Otto, on September 3, 1843, after an uprising of the people. This was a smart political move, since the royal palace overlooked the square. In 1934, the royal palace was turned over to the Greek Parliament, and ever since that time, Syntagma Square has been the place where all public protests and demonstrations have taken place. Syntagma Square home to historic demonstrations and protests In December of 1944, just after the departure of the occupying Nazi troops, a people’s rally at the square was marred b...

The World’s Oldest Living Olive Tree is on Crete

The most ancient olive tree in the world, in Crete. Credit: Dimitra Damian/Greek Reporter The oldest olive tree in the world is located in the village of Ano Vouves of Kissamos in Chania, Crete. The ancient tree is 3000 years old, as determined by the international scientific community. The ancient olive tree in Vouves has a trunk with a circumference of 12.5 meters (41 feet), and a diameter of 4.6 meters (15 feet). It belongs to the local tree variety of tsounati, and was grafted at a height of 3 meters onto a wild olive tree. Because of the grafting, its trunk has been so beautifully shaped by nature that it resembles a sculpture. In 1990, after a unanimous decision in the prefecture of Chania, the Vouves Olive Tree was declared a Natural Monument of great importance due to its status as the world’s oldest tree of its kind. The oldest olive tree still produces high-quality olives The fruits of the ancient olive tree make the best olive oil in the world, making the area...

Inside the Magnificent Minoan Palace of Knossos in Crete

The Minoan palace at Knossos. Credit: Gary Bembridge /Wikimedia Commons/ CC-BY-2.0 The Palace of Knossos, located about five kilometers (three miles) south of Heraklion on Kephala hill, was the largest of all the Minoan palaces in Crete. It was also at the core of the highly sophisticated civilization that flourished on the island over 3,500 years ago. The discovery of the Minoan Palace of Knossos The discovery and subsequent excavation of the palace dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. Before then, Knossos had only served as a place mentioned in Greek mythology. The first modern scholar to take a serious interest in the area was the German Heinrich Schliemann, who in 1870 had excavated the site believed to be Troy. Schliemann was certain that a major Minoan palace lay hidden near Heraklion, but the Ottoman authorities who still ruled the island at the time denied any permission to dig there. Years afterward, the British archaeologist Arthur Evans, inspired b...

Rolls-Royce Names Panos Kakoullis New CFO

Rolls-Royce aircraft engine. Credit: Mark Kobayashi Hillary/ CC BY 2.0 British aircraft engine maker Rolls-Royce will name Panos Kakoullis as its new CFO, Reuters reported on Monday. Kakoullis will start in his new role on May 3. The company hopes that the Greek-British Kakoullis, former head of audit and assurance at Deloitte, will successfully guide the company through the coronavirus pandemic. As the the second-largest maker of aircraft engines, Rolls Royce has taken major hits due to the dramatic decrease in air travel caused by the coronavirus. Airlines pay the company by the number of hours each plane is in flight. Accordingly, as the travel industry has come to a standstill, Rolls Royce faced severe financial difficulty in the past year. Rolls Royce CEO Warren East highlighted Kakoullis’ over 30 years experience at Deloitte in a statement: “Panos delivered significant transformational change at Deloitte, streamlining and simplifying the business and we look forwa...

The Greek Who Taught the Japanese to Eat Feta Cheese and Olive Oil

Credit: Facebook/ Thanasis Fragkis Pioneering businessman Thanasis Fragkis was the very first person to introduce olive oil and other traditional Greek products to Japan more than a decade ago. Olive oil, wine, feta cheese and Greek yogurt, relatively unknown food items to this Far Eastern country, are now being enjoyed as the great gourmet delicacies they are. Speaking to Greek Reporter from his home in the town of Mito, around 120 km (76 miles) north of Tokyo, Fragkis was justifiably proud of his achievement. “We have taught the Japanese to eat olive oil, cheeses, including feta, yogurt that were not part of their diet. They hardly knew of olive oil,” he says in wonderment. Originally from the town of Kymi on the island of Evia, Fragkis emigrated to England, where he met his future wife, who is Japanese. “When we got married we thought ‘you are Japanese, I am Greek, what is the point of living in England?’. Greece was a difficult place to start a business in at the ti...

Best Nude Beaches in Greece — and the Entire World

Plaka beach on Naxos. Credit: Carlo Pelagalli/Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 3.0 Greece is a country that appeals to almost any traveler, from its towering seaside cliffs to its nearly countless pristine beaches. It is also favored by naturists who want to feel free to be sunbathe and swim in the nude. Greece actually has too many nude beaches to count, with travelers knowing that if they desire that experience, they are never too far away from a nudist beach anywhere in the country. It is not an uncommon sight for women to sunbathe topless, even at conventional beaches in Greece, which is emblematic of the free-spirited nature of the country. Here we have collected some of the best spots for nude bathing all across the nation. World naturist bathing map A global guide to topless and nude sunbathing. Credit: Pour Moi swimsuit company website. A British swimsuit company named Pour Moi has now created a global map for naturists to know where nude bathing is legal — or at leas...

The Fascinating History of Thessaloniki’s Iconic White Tower

The White Tower. Credit: ΣΟΛΑΚΙΔΗΣ ΣΩΤΗΡΙΟΣ /Wikimedia Commons/ CC BY-SA 4.0 Residents of Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, often use its White Tower as a point of reference when giving directions in the beautiful seaside city. That’s because the tower is by far Thessaloniki’s most iconic monument. The ancient city, located in northern Greece, has a rich history stretching from antiquity to the modern era, but is most noted for its importance during the Byzantine period. During that time, Thessaloniki was a competitor with the great city of Constantinople in terms of its wealth and influence. The White Tower was a witness to many of the city’s most important historical events, and its role in Thessaloniki changed as did the ownership of the city itself throughout the millennia. Studying the history of the White Tower means learning the history of Thessaloniki. The Tower’s strategic location along the Thermaic Gulf made it perfect for guarding the city from thre...

The Greek Goddess Gaia and Her Connection to Earth Day

The world celebrates Earth Day every April 22. An Arabic painting of Gaia, c.730 AD Arabischer Maler um 730 – The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei . Public domain Today, April 22, Earth Day is celebrated once again as over one billion people in countries around the world help make the world a little greener, helping it recover from the ravages of industrialization and pollution. The Greek goddess Gaia would surely be in full accord with Earth Day, as she herself represented the bounty of the earth itself. The very first Earth Day in 1970 led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the monumental Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species Acts, which have transformed the entire country, bringing back several species from the brink of extinction, perhaps most notably the American bald eagle. Founded by Gaylord Nelson, the U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Earth Day resulted from his witnessing the massive ...

Minoan Language Linear A Linked to Linear B in Groundbreaking New Research

Palace of Knossos, Crete. Credit: Pat Scrap/Pixabay The Minoan language known as “Linear A” may finally be deciphered with the help of the internet, which can be used to uncover previously-hidden links to the much-better understood Linear B language, which developed later in the prehistoric period. The puzzle of Linear A has tormented linguists for many decades, as they attempted to link it somehow to Linear B, which was translated successfully for the first time in the 1950s. Linear B was used on the Greek mainland and Crete 50-150 years later than Linear A. Tablet with Linear A writing. Archaeological Museum of Heraklion, Crete. Credit: Dr. Ester Salgarella, Cambridge University Understanding the link between them and decoding the secrets of Linear A would allow experts to paint a much more complete picture of Minoan civilization going back as far as 1,800 BC. Linear A, which was used by the Minoans during the Bronze Age, exists on at least 1,400 known inscript...

Covid-19: Greece Records 1,070 Cases, Nearly Half in Attica

Credit: Greek Reporter A total of 1,070 cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in Greece on Thursday, 81 fewer than the 1,151 cases that were recorded in the country one day earlier, on Wednesday. Alarming health officials, a great number of Thursday’s 1,070 cases were diagnosed in Attica, where 533 Covid-19 diagnoses were recorded. Attica is home to Athens, the capital and most populous city in Greece. Cases are particularly high in Athens itself — where a total of 129 cases were recorded in the center of the city. In the city’s western and southern suburbs, 101 and 80 cases were diagnosed respectively on Thursday. In Thessaloniki, Greece’s second largest city, a total of 87 cases were identified in the last 24 hours. A total of 81 cases were recorded in the region of Achaea, located in the northwestern Peloponnese. Tragically, 25 people with the virus passed away in the country over the past 24-hour period, which is two fewer than those recorded yesterday. Currently, 2...

Qoutes

Search This Blog