Known under various names throughout Romania, doina is a lyrical, solemn, improvised and spontaneous song. It is always performed solo, with or without instrumental accompaniment. Doina has a varied expressive and thematic palette, which includes joy, sadness, loneliness, social conflicts, love, etc. There are several regional variants.
In the traditional folk environment it is known by different names: daina, duina, horie, song of longing, song of mourning, slope song…, being linked to a specific melody, in a slow tempo (either a melodic line is used for more many texts, or it is used for a specific text, the folk singer accompanying himself with ancient folk instruments: flute (fluier), reed pipe (caval), whistle (tilinca), tree leaf, fish scale and others).
A doina starts from an individual experience, but acquires a generally human value, grace to its very universality of the themes treated.
The folk doina was, over time, a rich source of inspiration for many important writers of Romanian literature. Thus, the cult of doina was born.
DOINA has been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity List since 2009
Mower playing on whistle. Marișel, Cluj county, 2021
