Dhalo

This song-cum-dance is also an all women affair like the 'foogddi'. The language of the song is Konkani with a slight admixture of Marathi. Dhalo are played (khellttat) rather than danced (nachtat). They are played out on the moonlit winter nights in the courtyard of the house. They are slower in tempo, songs prevailing predominantly over the movements. The front yard of the house, where normally the newly harvested corn (paddy) is processed, is dug and paved carefully and later plastered with cow dung almost to a cement like finish. After the rice grains are winnowed, dried and stored, this paved place serves as a venue for all the socio-cultural activities of the village. There is a specific spot close to the door step called a Mandd or station. Here every activity is initiated with a puja and a lamp lit. This spot is considered sacred and represents the spirit of the occasion. The courtyard is later covered with a canopy of woven coconut-tree leaves, supported by a framework of betel-nut-tree poles. This covering over the Mandd is called Mattov in konkani.