Tonga
Tonga
Tonga as a country has always been very religious and very deep into their culture. In Tonga family is everything, along with religion. Tongan religion is mostly Methodist, Christian or Morman. The king and the majority of the royal family are members of the Free Wesleyan Church (Methodist) which claims some 40,000 adherents in the country. Church is a big commitment as it is a way to show respect to their country and how it was founded. The Tongans have devoted their whole day on Sundays to go to church. The harmonised singing and beat of the wooden drums are all familiar sounds to a Tongan on a Sunday. After a session of church has been held, all the members will be asked to go to a hall and celebrate their religion through song and dance. The performers rub baby oil on themselves so that other members of the church can stick money to them to support the family.
In Tonga, song and dance is a traditional way to celebrate important events like weddings anniversaries and royal events. There are two main types of dancing, sitting and standing. Both types are performed in a row facing the audience. Traditionally men and women had different dances but today mixed performances are common. Women have greater social prestige than men, so a man's sister will outrank him socially even if he is the older sibling. Until recently it was taboo for an adult male and his sister to be in a room together. The recent introduction of television is changing this taboo, however.
While these performances are happening the higher ranked men of the church sit on the stage and drink Kava (traditional drink of Tonga). Kava drinking is a tradition for the men of the family. All over Tonga, men get together at night to sit in a circle, chat and drink kava. Kava is prepared in a three legged kava bowl and served in a halved coconut shell. Each man in the circle is served in order of importance of the village or group and they must clap before drinking. In the Tongan culture, rank is
Tonga as a country has always been very religious and very deep into their culture. In Tonga family is everything, along with religion. Tongan religion is mostly Methodist, Christian or Morman. The king and the majority of the royal family are members of the Free Wesleyan Church (Methodist) which claims some 40,000 adherents in the country. Church is a big commitment as it is a way to show respect to their country and how it was founded. The Tongans have devoted their whole day on Sundays to go to church. The harmonised singing and beat of the wooden drums are all familiar sounds to a Tongan on a Sunday. After a session of church has been held, all the members will be asked to go to a hall and celebrate their religion through song and dance. The performers rub baby oil on themselves so that other members of the church can stick money to them to support the family.
In Tonga, song and dance is a traditional way to celebrate important events like weddings anniversaries and royal events. There are two main types of dancing, sitting and standing. Both types are performed in a row facing the audience. Traditionally men and women had different dances but today mixed performances are common. Women have greater social prestige than men, so a man's sister will outrank him socially even if he is the older sibling. Until recently it was taboo for an adult male and his sister to be in a room together. The recent introduction of television is changing this taboo, however.
While these performances are happening the higher ranked men of the church sit on the stage and drink Kava (traditional drink of Tonga). Kava drinking is a tradition for the men of the family. All over Tonga, men get together at night to sit in a circle, chat and drink kava. Kava is prepared in a three legged kava bowl and served in a halved coconut shell. Each man in the circle is served in order of importance of the village or group and they must clap before drinking. In the Tongan culture, rank is