Folk music
Caste -based folk poems, Jana Kavi , originated as communal song shared within individual groups as they engaged in daily work. Today, they remain a popular form of cultural expression. Folk poems were sung by ancient people of Sri Lanka to minimise their loneliness, sadness, tiredness etc. There isn't a known author for the folk poems. Kavi was also sung to accompany annual rituals. These ancient rites are rarely performed in contemporary Sri Lanka, but the preserved songs are still performed by folk musicians. Another traditional Sri Lankan folk style is called the Virindu . It involves an improvised poem sung to the beaten melody of a rabanaTraditional song contests were held in which two virindu singers would compete through spontaneous verse. The Portuguese influenced baila has been a popular folk tradition along the coastal districts in the past five hundred year...