This will be my last post for
the next several weeks as I am traveling to San Francisco for a short vacation
and beginning to plan for the next stage of my life for after I finish my Peace
Corps service in October/November. While I am incredibly excited for the trip,
I am also unfortunately missing two large events that will be taking place on
my home island of Vava’u.
Many of you may have noticed
that after incessantly blogging about feasts last year I haven’t written a
single post about a feast this year. You may have assumed that this was because
I have figured out that you all were a bit tired of the subject by now, but
that would be assuming that I am a far better blogger than I actually am.
Instead, the reason is that everyone in my three villages has been tightening
their proverbial belts, both literally and figuratively, for the annual
Wesleyan Conference taking place at the end of June in Vava’u for the first
time since 2002.
This is a big deal. I repeat.
This is a BIG DEAL. The Conference
is usually held on the main island of Tongatapu as it easier for people to
travel too, has far more amenities, and is simply much larger than all the
other islands combined. With the Conference this year, the 14,000 population of
Vava’u is expected to swell to as many as 18,000 people. Tongans from all over
the world – America, New Zealand, Australia, Europe, and the other Tongan
islands – will be coming to Vava’u to attend the festivities.
The Conference is centered upon
the two major events that dictate Tongan life, church and food. For the week,
every village is responsible for supplying the feast food, with each family
providing food for one or two tables. This is an expensive enterprise, and will
result in a lot of money being spent and a lot of pigs being killed. Because of
this Tongans in Vava’u are not spending much money now, and I have sadly not
attended a feast this year, other than when I visited my Tongan sister on the
island of ‘Eua back in January. I know, I am as heart broken for myself as I am
sure you all are for me. Thank you for that.
The second event is the King’s
birthday on July 4th, which he has decided to also celebrate this
year in Vava’u. For the past 5 weeks, every primary school, including mine, has
met on a field in town in Friday to practice for the King’s birthday. The
students and teachers have to wear all red – red shoes, long red socks, red
shirts, red shorts, and red shower caps (yes you read that right) – and all of
this red has to be the same solid color without any writing on it. On these
Fridays, some thousand primary school students stand in the blistering sun for
as many as 5 hours to practice aerobics, forming the Tongan flag (one school
wears white to complete the picture), learn how to properly enter and leave the
field, and learn the correct way to say and act, “Happy Birthday Your Majesty.”
It is interesting to watch and the kids will put on an amazing display for the
king on his birthday, but all of the practicing has been a bit tedious and
expensive for the schools to have to transport their kids to town each week.
The High Schools have also been
practicing traditional Tongan songs and dances, which they will perform for the
king. Beyond this, the entire week of the King’s birthday will host fairs,
parades, and contests, such as the fakaleiti
(men who dress as ladies in Tonga) Miss Galaxy competition. The entire week
will be an absolute spectacle.
I cannot wait to see everyone
in the US for a short vacation, but I’ll also be excited to hear about all the
events that I will miss back in Vava’u upon my return. For now, thanks for
reading, enjoy the photos from our practices, and see you in a few weeks!
Practicing for the Kings Birthday (the school on the right is actually wearing Iowa Hawkeyes t-shirts thanks to the volunteer living in that village)
Aerobics being lead by two volunteers and several Tongan teachers
Pesi wearing her gorgeous pule taha (the matching dress and skirt) and kiekie ( the woven skirt type thing around her waist)
A beautiful sunrise over my village
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