The songs of the prefecture of Chania, with fifteen syllables of non-rhyming lyrics, are one of the most famous types of Cretan songs. To the locals they are also known as leukoritika (of the White Mountains) songs, since they come from the villages located at the foot of the White Mountains. There they were formed, developed and preserved in their most authentic form. Many of them are also called Sfakians because many of them refer to the area Sfakia or the Sfakians. Nowadays most people know them as rizitika. It should be noted, however, that this name is a term that was conceived, adopted, became popular and finally established in the 20th century. It was given by the younger scholars of Cretan song and is owed to the fact that they are products of the riza, the root, the foot of the mountains. Another version wants the roots to come from ancient Rizinia, today’s Meskla in the province of Kydonia. They were composed by the Rizites, the inhabitants of the high villages that keep alive the ancient customs and traditions of Crete.

We do not have much verified information about the origin of the rizitika songs. Most are creations of the centuries of Venetian and Turkish rule. It is certain that their roots go back to the Byzantine period, while many modern scholars are of the opinion that they are the continuation of the war songs of the Dorians, who settled around 1000 BC in the mountainous areas of Chania and preserved the ancient traditions. unchanged over time.

Their subjects are many, the love for freedom, the admiration for brave men, the feelings for friendship and hospitality, the pastoral life, the love for nature, the family ties, the vendetta, and even the love. There are, however, many that refer to specific people and events in Cretan history.  During the period of Ottoman rule (1645-1913 AD) many rizitika were created, most of them fighting songs, reflecting the desire of the Cretan people for freedom.  During that time the  lyrics of the songs were allegoric and filled with symbolism in order to mislead the enemy.

The rizitika are sung strictly by men, without the accompaniment of musical instruments or dancing. To date there are 32 known melodies or a little more with small variations. But there are 47 other singles songs of the genre.

There are two types of rizitika songs.  Those that are sung at the table, and those that are sung on the road or during a procession.

The table songs, tis tavlas are the songs of the merrymakers, the revelers, who sit around the tavla, the table, eat, drink and have a good time.

The rizitika tis tavlas are sung by a lead singer, dominating the room with his voice, followed by all in the group in refrain.  During the song there is absolute silence in the room, with no eating or drinking.  There is a solemn respect to the singer and the song.

The road songs, tis stratas, were sung by the Rizites, the people living at the rood of the mountains, when they made long journeys going to war, or in peaceful times, from one village to another, as in the case of a wedding, where the wedding procession accompanied the bride and her dowry to her new home. Often the long journeys in the mountains and inaccessible places were made on horseback or on mules and donkeys, and the melody of the songs tis stratas is adapted to the walking of these animals and sounds like a cavalry march.

These songs are the most characteristic vocal expressions in the prefecture of Chania in social events, festivals and company settings, when the Cretan’s heart has swelled with pride and emotion.

The rizitika songs trully spring from the soul of the Cretan people, with them they praise the strength, the valor, the courage and the contempt for death. They are the most beautiful thing that exists in the psyche of the mountain Cretan. They are ornaments of the Cretan idiomatic language, durable and indestructible.

_{Excerpts translated and edited from articles by Ioannis Tsouxlarakis and Stavros Fotakis.}