Raban or Rabana ( si, රබාන) is a one-sided traditional drum type played with the hands, used in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. It's mainly played in Aurudu Kreeda (The Sri Lankan New Year). The body of these drums is made by carving the Jack or Vitex trees. The skin used is that of a

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

. There are two types of Rabans as Hand Raban and Bench Raban. * Hand Raban is about one foot in diameter. Some performers keep revolving the Raban on the tip of their fingers while others play it accompanied with singing. This is played with one hand only. This type of Rabana is mostly associated with the type of folk songs called 'Virindu'. The 'Virindu' singer carrying a 'Hand Rabana' clad with a

sarong A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven plaid o ...

and a

bandana A kerchief (from the Old French ''couvrechief'', "cover head"), also known as a bandana, bandanna, or "Wild Rag" (in cowboy culture), is a triangular or square piece of cloth tied around the head, face or neck for protective or decorative purpos ...

is iconic in pre-modern Sri Lankan society. * Bench Raban 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 ''Raban'' and play it for various rhythms. These rhythms are called ''Raban 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''. Sri Lankan folk literature is full of ''varang kavi'' and ''raban pada''.

References

Dances, Masks and Drums of Sri Lanka, Ranga Dance Ensemble - Sri Lanka

Hand drums Music of Sri Lanka {{SriLanka-stub

See also

References