Tonga- Religions

Nearly all the people of Tonga are Christians. The majority of them are members of the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga with about 37 percent. The next highest is the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints with about 17 percent. According to the royal edict, rules of the Sabbath are quite strict and widely upheld. Virtually everything is closed on Sunday, except for emergency facilities.

Tonga- Greetings

Its is appropriate to greet people with a handshake or a verbal greeting. Man often hold the handshake for several seconds during a short conversation. malo e lelei (Hello) is a common greeting in the daytime. There are several different phrases used to say "Good morning." Some of these are Malo e lelei ki he pongipongi ni and Malo e tau mo eni. "Good evening" is said as Malo e lelei ki he efiafi ni. Visitors may be greeted by saying Talitali fiefia meaning welcome. Nobles are greeted with different phrases, When being introduced you might say Fefe hake? Which means How do you do. The polite answer is Sai pe, Malo which is Fine, thank you. When leaving the person leaving says Nofo (you stay) to which the other person replies 'Alu (you go).

Tongans usually call acquaintances by their given name. People meeting for the first time use titles and family names. If professional titles are not used, Tangata'eiki (Mr.), Fine'eiki (Mrs.), and Ta'ahine (Miss) are appropriate to use.

Tonga- Dating and Marriage

Boys and girls are kept apart beginning at an early age. They don't interact much until they get older. Teens meet each other at supervised school, church or village activities. A teenage boy may go and visit a girl at her house and ask to speak with her. If he is allowed, he may talk to her in a room in which her mother, aunt or possibly small children are present. On the outer islands a young man may talk a young woman at a faikava which is a gathering to drink kava, a mild narcotic, nonalcoholic beverage made from the crushed kava root. Women ordinarily do not drink kava, but single young women attend these gatherings to serve the beverage.

When a young man wants to get married, he asks for permission from the young woman's father, usually bringing gifts of kava, pig or cow. Marriages are greats celebration. Ceremonies follow the traditions of the peoples religious belief. Young couples generally have their own home but may choose to move in with parents.

Tonga- Food

Tongans traditionally eat two meals a day. The meals may consist of yams, taro leaves, sweet potatoes, cassava (yucca), fish, or pork. A different way of living is becoming more popular, European-style meals. A European eating style is a light, early breakfast, a meal at noon, and one in the evening.

A popular dish (Lu pulu) is cooked taro leaves with coconut cream and corned beef. Pork and chicken are the primary meats. Fish is a typical main dish. Roast pig is a favorite in Tonga. Tongans enjoy many different tropical fruits that grown on the islands.

Tonga- Clothing

Modesty is valued very much in Tonga, most females do not wear short shirts or low cut tops. What we usually consider 'swimming attire' is deemed inappropriate. Women usually wear T-shirts and shirts while men wear T-shirts and longer shorts or pants to swim in. While it is ok for tourists to wear swimming attire to the beach, it is frowned upon by the public of Tonga. It is required by law that all male older than 16 wear shirts in public. Pants have been traditionally considered inappropriate for women, but it is becoming more and more common among the young women. Longer hair styles are considered inappropriate for men.

Traditional Tongan style clothes for men include a piece of clothing called tupenu (a calf length piece of material wrapped around the waist of a man) underneath a ta'ovala (a piece of very fine material, made from the leaves of a pandanus tree, it is also wrapped around the waist and tied with a coconut-fiber rope). Shirts with open necks are worn as a sign of respect. It is more common today to see more of the clothes that we wear in America, including; ties, suit jackets, and pants. The tupenu and the ta'ovala are required (along with a tie) for formal occasions such as meeting with and associating with royalty.

Women's traditionally wore a kiekie over a tupenu. The kiekie is similar to the ta'ovala, made from pandanus leaves woven into different designs that hang as strips from the waist. It is more common today for the women to wear dresses, although sometimes the kiekie is sometimes wore over tupenu, skirts, or a dress. Women usually wear a ta'ovala at weddings, funerals and other special occasions.


Citation:
Information:

pioneer.uen.org
onlineculturegrams.com

Pictures:

ldschurchtemples.com

english.china.com

flickr.com

onlineculturegrams.com

kristiina.kaapeli.fi