Eja! Eja! Alalà!

Eja! Eja! Alalà! is a chant that gained prominence in early 20th-century Italy, particularly during World War I and the subsequent Fascist era. The phrase combines “eja,” a traditional Sardinian exclamation used to rouse enthusiasm, with “alala,” an ancient Greek war cry associated with the goddess Alala, the personification of the battle cry in Greek mythology.   Italian poet and nationalist Gabriele D’Annunzio introduced “eja eja alalà” in August 1917 as a rallying cry to replace what he considered the foreign “Hip! Hip! Hurrah!” It was first adopted by Italian aviation units embarking on perilous missions during World War I. In 1919, D’Annunzio used the chant during the occupation of Fiume (now Rijeka, Croatia), and it was later embraced by the Fascist movement as a symbol of nationalist fervor