Hinduism is one of the world’s oldest religions, up there with buddhism and judaism. This religion stems from the Indian subcontinent, spreading its tradition to other parts of the world, such as today in the United states which now recognizes diwali (a hindu holiday) as a nationwide holiday. The music that stems from hinduism has a lot to do with their beliefs and worship. This religion tends to have beliefs of blessing a new car, a new house, to having a “maticoor” in which families come together to celebrate the unification of two individuals.
Here is an example of a Maticoor night song at a Maticoor ceremony. These songs don’t usually stick to our music elements vocab, however, if you listen closely you can hear the melody of the harmonium. The woman vocalizing also plays a big factor into the music, in which she gives way for the tempo to get faster as she can sing faster with the melody. The harmonium is also pretty constant throughout the entire song. These songs can serve a religious purpose because they are mainly made for these religious or celebratory ceremonies (such as Maticoor). Another Hindu tradition is the mehndi night, which may also have its own set of musical genres for that specific tradition. The songs help them resonate with what tradition they are doing.