\u2018War cries\u2019 songs, or as otherwise dubbed, majekrahu songs, are fairly known to have no instrumental accompaniment. They represent one of the oldest strands of intangible heritage which highlanders have manifested in weddings, festivities, gaiety, mountains, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These songs have also been practiced in cases of call-and-response songs, between different areas since war times, aiming to communicate and convey news with one another while going unnoticed by the enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A distinctive feature of these songs is the singer\u2019s brilliant voice that starts the call and is promptly accompanied by the other singer unifying the voices into a single one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The content of these songs is a short summary in three or four lines each of eight syllables about a story or bravery mentioned. These words are selected from the rhapsodies composed by the populace of these areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exemplifying of lyrics of war cry songs:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAI PAL GJOKA SHKOJ TE DAJA,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
VALL\u00cb KU RRIN SULEJMAN AGA,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
N’KOD\u00cbR T’KIRIT N\u00cbN DO \u00c7ADRA…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(\u201cPAL GJOKA HEADED TO HIS UNCLE,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
WONDERING WHERE SULEJMAN AGA IS,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ON KIRI HILL SOMEWHERE AROUND WAR TENTS… \u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(shows Dukagjini’s resistance in the war against the Ottomans)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLIDHI SHALA BES\u00cbN<\/p>\n\n\n\n
N’AT SARAJ PO VDESIM<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TROJET KURR\u00cb SI SHESIM…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(\u201cSHALA FOLKSMEN PLEDGE THEIR FAITH\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FOR THIS LAND FIGHTING TO DEATH<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NEVER SURRENDER NOR TURN TRAITOR\u2026\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u00c7\u2019JAN\u00cb KTO GJAM\u00cb SI PO I BJEN ERA,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
LUFT\u00cb PO BAJN\u00cb RUGOVA E PEJA,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SE LAM\u00cb TJETER SHKJAUN TE DERA… \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
(\u201cWIND IS BLOWING CLARION CALLS AWAY<\/p>\n\n\n\n
FIGHTING BROKE OUT IN RUGOVA AND PEJA<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NO SHKJA ON OUR DOORSTEP\u2026\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The war cry song has always opened and closed the wedding banquet. Once the bride appeared, a war cry song was sung. When the wedding started, words of blessing and greeting were exchanged with the knocking of raki glasses and a local has afterward sung the majekrahu song, with the bridal veil (duvak) having been lifted. The war cry song has always come first, followed by lahuta (a lute-like instrument). No raki toast was made either without first singing the majekrahu song, to next proceed with the hosted dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This traditional song has been passed down through generations to the present day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u2018War cries\u2019 songs, or as otherwise dubbed, majekrahu songs, are fairly known to have no instrumental accompaniment. They represent one of the oldest strands of intangible heritage which highlanders have manifested in weddings, festivities, gaiety, mountains, etc. These songs have also been practiced in cases of call-and-response songs, between different areas since war times, aiming […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[853,855],"tags":[873],"class_list":["post-3349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-malsi-e-madhe-municipality","category-shkoder-municipality","tag-performing-arts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n