Šišan’s mantinjade – mantignade Sissanesi are traditional tunes performed primarily during the carnival festivities. They are, in fact, a series of verses intertwined with a mixture of Italian, Venetian and Istriot dialects, and the melody is based on the Istrian scale.

Some people from Šišan used to sing them a little differently, they followed the melody and pauses reminiscent of the “thin and thick” singing style, which points to the Slavic origin of mantinjade introduced into Šišan’s tradition by the new inhabitants from the interior of Istria who had settled here centuries ago. They brought along a rich folklore tradition that they were proud of and that was quickly assimilated by the new environment. These people embraced the local tradition and the Istriot dialect, and left their mark on these tunes that became indigenous over time and have continued to change to this day.

However, their true origin is not yet known and is shrouded in mystery. Šišan’s mantinjade differ from the folk songs of other Romance-speaking settlements in Istria, they are rich with clear overtones of multiculturalism, bilingualism and the community.

In 2009, mantinjade, together with the two-part singing in the Istrian scale, in Istria and the Croatian Littoral, as well as all other traditional tunes of Istrian Italians and Istro-Romanians, were included in the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2015, in collaboration with the piano teacher Ana Debeljuh, the Italian Community of Šišan released a CD with mantinjade recorded that year, but which also included those recorded in 1983.