Raban
Rоban or Rоbana (Sinhalese: රබාන) is one-sided traditional drum type played with the hands, used in Sri Lanka.Its mainly played in Aurudu Kreeda (The Srilankan New Year). The body of these drums are made by carving the Jack or Vitex trees. The skin used is that of a goat. There are two types of Robans as Hand Roban and Bench Roban.
- Hand Roban is about one foot in diameter. Some performers keep revolving the Roban on the tip of their fingers while others play it accompanied with singing. This is played with one hand only. This type of Robana is mostly associated with the type of folk songs called 'Virindu'. The 'Virindu' singer carrying a 'Hand Robana' clad with a sarong and a bandana is an iconic in pre-modern Sri Lankan society.
- Bench Roban is the biggest of the drums used in Sri Lanka with the diameter of it about four feet. The special feature of this drum is that it is played by two or more people at a time. They use both hands. During the festival season, people gather around the Roban and play it for various rhythms. These rhythms are called Roban Sural and they're mostly played by women. It's played on every happy occasion. They also sing songs along the rhythm called varang kavi or raban pada. Srilankan folk literature is full of varang kavi and roban pada.
See also[]
References[]
- Dances, Masks and Drums of Sri Lanka, Ranga Dance Ensemble - Sri Lanka
- Perpetuating an old craft, Sunday Observer
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