Planning a Maldives trip without the Bodu Beru show is like celebrating Holi without the colours. Bodu Beru is named after the “big drum” used to play the music and is one of the oldest surviving aspects of Dhivehi Culture. Boduberu is commonly known as Baburu Lava by the locals. It is most often accompanied by dancing and clapping of the hands. Boduberu is usually sung in the evening, after a hard day’s work to refresh themselves. Today, Boduberu is an important item of entertainment at stage shows, celebrations and festivals and also used as an icebreaker at times.

Actual Performance of the Bodu Beru:

The show consists of around 15- 20 people. The costume of the performers is a white short-sleeved shirt and a sarong. The Coconut wood is used to carve the drum, however, the drum heads are traditionally made of Manta Ray skin or goatskin. The beat comes out when the drummer caresses his bare hands on the drum. You can see people holding bells and onugandu – a small piece of bamboo with horizontal grooves, from which raspy sounds are produced by scraping. Boduberu starts with a low beat and becomes gradually energetic. A lead singer is also present amongst the company of individuals.The Boduberu Show and music starts with a slow entrancing beat that draws in the viewers and leaves them wondered. This beat soon seems to turn fast and almost frantic before coming to a sudden halt at the end. Everyone is invited to dance and clap. Bodu Beru acts as a catalyst to bring people together. People also make friends while dancing together. This soulful music is quite calm and one enjoys while tapping the feet over this beautiful music.

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Does it have a meaning?

A noteworthy point about the Bodu Beru show is that sometimes it has meaningless lyrics. The lyrics do not have a meaning, because it consists of a mixture of local, neighbouring and some African words and is often just sung to match the beat. However, some verses of the Boduberu may contain stories about various incidents or a realm of emotions that suits the pace of the drums.

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How often does it happen?

Many of the island inhabitants still consider it a form of art to express the Maldivian culture. The inhabitants of smaller islands consider Boduberu as their own pride. A competition is held yearly once on Male for which everyone is invited to compete. The location is up to the performers. In addition to this, other regular contests are also held in different islands of the Maldives. The show is also performed during many festivals and gatherings.

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In short…

This is considered as the highest pride of their culture and it truly gives you a soulful experience. You get melted alongside the soothing music and the warm hearts of the Maldivian people. Make sure to add it to your Maldives itinerary. We at Pickyourtrail help traveller with end to end vacation planning, feel free to drop a query or check out our Maldives holiday packages.