diwali.mp3India is bordered to the North by China and to the west by Pakistan. To the south of India is the Indian Ocean. The Bengal Tiger is native to India. Native people put masks on the back of their heads to stay safe from the tigers.

There are several instruments that are from India. The Tabla Drums are two drums that you play together. One is made out of metal and one is made out of wood. Both have leather drum heads.  You play these drums with your hands, and you sit on the floor.

The sitar is also from India. You play this instrument while sitting on the floor also. It is kind of like a guitar because it has tunable strings that you play like a guitar. It is much larger than a guitar, and has a longer neck.

The violin was adopted by India as a native instrument in the 1600’s. It is just like the American violin, but they play upside down and tune the strings differently.

The Tala is the meter they use in India. That is how they count and conduct their music.

The Diwali festival is a festival in India. It is like Christmas, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, and New Years all at the same time. It happens in late October. It sounds like a great time! We learned a song about the Diwali Festival and recorded it. Please click on the Audio MP3 file to listen to the recording.