Great food, friendly locals and an endless array of activities makes Maldives a highly attractive holiday destination. While the country maybe popular for its beaches, it is much more than a typical beach destination. The country actually has a lot more to offer, as those who visit soon find out. Maldives has a rich culture and tourists visiting the country should definitely try to see performances of traditional music and dances. While these have been influenced by the country’s ethnically diverse settlers (explaining their similarity to Asian and Arabian music and dances), the end product is distinct and unique to the archipelago.
Langiri first emerged during the twentieth century, sometime during the reign of Sultan Shamsuddin III, and is believed to be Arabic in origin. Langiri folk music and dances are performed during the evening and are highly entertaining. The music is a slight modification of thaara music and starts slowly and builds up to a crescendo. The dance is performed with the aid of bamboo sticks called ‘Langiri Dandi’, which are approximately two feet long. Performers form two parallel lines sitting opposite each other. Each dancer strikes the sticks of the dancers in front of them in a rhythmic fashion. As time progresses the pace of the dance increases. A langiri show usually consists of around seven to eight songs.
The boduberu is another tourist favourite. Thought to have originated in Africa, boduberu is performed by fifteen people and heavily features percussion instruments. Boduberu songs cover a wide range of subjects and performances almost always get the audience dancing. Other traditional performances include thaara music, gaa odi lava, and bolimalaafath neshun, a type of dance. Tourists in Maldives should definitely try and catch a few of these performances in the evening.
Part of the country’s attraction as a holiday destination lies in its top notch tourist infrastructure. There are plenty of terrific Maldives resorts for travellers to choose from. Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas is one of the better known Maldives spa resorts offering a myriad of services. From excellent spa treatments to underwater dining, the resort promises to make a stay here a truly memorable one full of fun and adventure.
