Joanna James
Aside from the dazzling beaches and luxury resorts, there are plenty of other types of entertainment in the Maldives for travellers to enjoy. Here are just a few of those. 🎸🌅🌴
When you think of your holiday in Maldives, thoughts of grooving to the local music, wouldn't be the first thing that comes to mind. However, music plays a huge role in all cultures and the Maldives is no different. The most popular form of traditional music is known as "boduberu".
In the Dhivehi language, Boduberu translates to Big (bodu) Drums (beru), and that's exactly what it is. The big drum is made from coconut wood, and the drum head goat skin (previously ray skin).
The rhythmic drumming is performed with a group of drummers, accompanied by a singer and sometimes, dancers.
The origins of this musical style are said to trace back to the 11th century, when the sultan's African slaves introduced it to locals. Since then, it has evolved into its own unique style.🥁
Photo by Badruddeen via Flickr , (CC BY-ND 2.0)
Crab racing is a popular sport among the local community, so you won't have to look too hard for one of these fun events. Locals generally hold the informal races in the evenings, with participation free for everyone.
The race begins with sand evenly spread out on the floor, and then two circles drawn, one large and one smaller circle inside the big one. Participants each get a crab with a number painted on its shell. The crabs are then placed in the middle of the smaller circle.
The crab that crosses into the larger circle wins the round and is qualified to enter the next. The crab 'owners' are allowed to stand outside the larger circle to cheer on their contestants. It's a fun, no frills activity that even supervised children can take part in. 🦀🦀
Photo via Maxpixel
For most travellers, watching a movie on holiday, involves flicking through your TV or borrowing DVD's from the hotel library, but when it comes to cinematic entertainment in Maldives, expect something much more memorable.
Several resorts have started taking the cinema experience outdoors, all the way to the beach. Surrounded by white sands, a canopy of stars above, who wouldn't want to experience this.
Just lie back in your beach lounger and watch a Hollywood classic while sipping your chilled drinks and munching on buttery popcorn. The experience has become so popular with travellers that it has been featured in several travel guides such as The Maldives Travels.🎥
Photo by Steven Depolo , Flickr , (CC BY 2.0), Beach Pere Marquette Beach Muskegon
Singing is as important to Maldivians as drumming - their songs which are known as 'lava' may fall into several categories, depending on their origin.
There's Baburu lava which is African, Javee lava attributed to the Javanese, and Arabi lava, which uses Arabic words and tones.
They use their traditional form of poetry, known as gaivaru, to provide lyrics to melodies. A traditional song will see a singer engage the audience in a lyrical conversation, to the beat of drum.
Sometimes there are larger groups of singers, and even dancers to enthrall the audience. The entire setting is mesmerising and introduces a side of local life rarely seen. 🎙
Photo via Maxpixel
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