Exclusive Luxury Holidays to The Maldives

The Maldives - Local Customs in The Maldives

Maldivians are discouraged from mixing with tourists. Sunni Muslim is the official religion in the Maldives. Although some women wear headscarves, women do not cover their faces. Prayers are said five times a day, and children read and recite the Koran.

The dress code outside of the resorts is conservative. Tourists visiting other islands should not wear beachwear or revealing clothing. Alcohol is not available outside of the resorts. Although tipping is not encouraged in the Maldives, it is not unusual to tip people providing services.

For the entire month of Ramadan, Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset. People wandering outside of the resorts should avoid eating, smoking, or drinking in front of people who are fasting during this time.

Physically the Maldivians do vary from one atoll to the next due to the large diversity of genetic influences in the Maldives. Maldivians have ancestors from South and Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Arabian countries. They all speak Dhivehi, but this language has a different dialect in some regions in the southern parts of the Maldives.

There is also a great diversity in the local culture of the Maldives from the designs in woven mats to the embroidered necklines of women's dresses. Maldivians are known for their heavy drum based music and their skilled craftsmanship of sailboats called dhoni.