Meedhoo Culture

As Islam is the national religion and all Maldivians are Sunni Muslims, Meedhoo is of no exceptions. And the people of Meedhoo have been a very religious community since the conversion to Islam. Hence, unlike other islands of the country, traditional music and dance are not performed in this island. The people of Meedhoo believed performance of these activities as contrary to Islamic religion. But in the recent past, there developed a contemporary Dhivehi culture with outside influences which is strong and adaptive. Western fashions, pop music and videos are visible in the island, but on public occasions, like the beginning and end of Ramadan, the celebrations always have a distinctly traditional touch.

Though the islanders are very religious, ancient beliefs survive: for example, islanders fear jinnis – evil spirits which come from the sea, land and sky. These are blamed for everything that cannot be explained by religion or science.

Most visitors to this island in the past admired the cheerfulness of the men, their prowess as mariners and their acceptance of new ideas and probably strange cultures. They complimented the way the elders, poised and sage; the women beautifully clad and wearing gold embellishments, and the eagerness of the children. Also the visitors complimented the immaculately-maintained village streets, the incredible sunsets and the overall beauty of the island.

The Meedhoo culture is rich with flavors from most of the seafarers who set foot on its soil. Though traditional dresses are not used by present day generation there are many types of traditional dresses made for both sexes. Like the unique geographical formation, the cultural events and ceremonials are unique according to the event that is celebrated or performed. Naming a newborn child, Mauloodhu (a prayer accompanied with festive meal), Eid festival and circumcision of male child are few events that take place where the taste of rich cultural ‘cocktail’ can be experienced. The people of Meedhoo perform two very specialized Mauloodhus – one specialized for women on the 27th day of the month of Rajab and the other one for coconut sap tappers on the 26th day of the month of Rabeeul Awwal.

A traditional meal called Keyn is prepared for the above Mauloodhus comprising of a number of courses. A single Keyn would serve 10 – 12 people and includes rice, curries, salads, grilled fish, coconut cream, coconut syrup, bananas, puddings and other delights.

Keyn is set out in a very large wooden dish called a Malaafaiy. The outside of this dish is placed within the dish and small individual plates are filled with curries, salads, and other items and set around the rice. This would be covered with the lid and wrapped in a white cloth and tied at the top. At the meal times this would be carried into the Mauloodh Haruge (dining hall specially made for this event) and placed on straw mats for service. Individual plates and other food items in individual dishes are placed as well. Beverages are individually set in glasses. Water is served in a ceramic jug. Food is consumed using the fingers of the right hand. At the end of the meal hand is washed using a copper jug into a copper basin.

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