Religious Songs
Formerly in the islands of Maldives, there was a festival called Maulūdu, where religious songs were sung by groups of males within a pavilion (haruge) specially built for the occasion. When a Maulūd was arranged, local islanders had to build a large, open-sided pavilion with wooden poles. They would thatch it with coconut-palm fronds, and decorate it with oil lamps and special patchwork draperies. The day of the event, special food would be prepared, and beautifully displayed for the benefit of the Maulūd singers and a great number of guests coming from their rival island (or village), in their best dresses, on festively decorated boats. Here the host islanders had to prove themselves hospitable in the preparations and accommodation, in order to be able to compare favorably when it was their own turn to receive hospitality in the rival island on a similar occasion. Another name for religious songs is madaha.
Read more about this topic: Music Of The Maldives
Famous quotes containing the words religious and/or songs:
“It is a sign of our times, conspicuous to the coarsest observer, that many intelligent and religious persons withdraw themselves from the common labors and competitions of the market and the caucus, and betake themselves to a certain solitary and critical way of living, from which no solid fruit has yet appeared to justify their separation.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“Blues are the songs of despair, but gospel songs are the songs of hope.”
—Mahalia Jackson (1911–1972)