Culture of people country wise : Fiji culture

Fiji culture food people and festivals

Fijian Culture

The Fijians are pretty easy-going, but if you are invited into a village, wear modest clothing and take off your hat (wearing one is an insult to the chief) when in the village. Leave your shoes outside the door when entering a home and keep in mind that it's also insulting to touch someone's head - which can be tempting when you are surrounded by wide-eyed, smiling children.

If you are invited to drink kava, don't ask, just enjoy the ritual and the tumb noungue, sorry - the numb tongue

Kava is Fiji's most well-known social custom and an essential experience to make your Fiji holiday complete. If invited to try kava, don't hesitate, just accept the offering and enjoy the unique ritual (and the unique numbing effect the drink has).

As a sign of thanks it is tradition to offer a gift, usually kava (or yaqona in Fijian), when you visit a village. The sevusevu (or gift) generally costs under F$20 for a half kilo and will be taken care of by your guide. Presented to the Turaga Ni Koro (traditional head of the village) it will be ground into a powder, added to water and served in the Turaga Ni Koro's house.

Fijians are some of the most friendly people in the world and are eager to welcome you as a guest into their villages and homes provided you respect their traditions and customs. This will provide a fascinating insight into their traditional way of life and adds a unique element of depth to your Fiji holiday

This is a magnificent feast, cooked in the earth. It's like a barbeque, only a little more smoked, and a very efficient way to cook large quantities of food at the same time. To make your own you'll need -

firewood
some smooth-surfaced stones
a roll of foil
banana leaves
clean sacks (optional)
a shovel (not optional)

Dig a hole 60cm (2ft) deep and 72cm wide. If the soil is damp, spread a layer of ash in the bottom of the hole before putting in the stones and wood.

Light the fire and keep it going until the stones are red hot, then move the unburnt wood and coal and spread the stones out to make a platform for the food.

Traditionally, the food will consist of cassava (tapioca), kumala (sweet potato), yam and taro - all of which should be peeled. Wrap a shoulder or leg of pork or ham in foil (and/or chicken, fish or lamb) and place in the oven. Put the big stuff at the bottom and the things that need less cooking at the top.

Cover the feast with banana leaves or coconut stalks and damp sacks to provide the final insulation. Cover the lot with soil and pour yourself a drink.
The food will take around two hours to cook.

A multi-racial, multi-cultural nation, the population of Fiji is made up of significant numbers of followers of all major religions.

Visitors will find Christian churches, mosques, and Sikh and Hindu temples throughout the country. Visitors are more than welcome to join the locals for Sunday worship and it's highly recommended, even if you're not that religious.

A Methodist service will give you a good insight into how the Fijian village culture is structured and why the people are so friendly and family-focussed. You may not understand many of the words, but the singing and ceremony will stay in your memory.

The Indian food in Fiji uses ingredients unique to the South Pacific such as black eyed peas, cassava, fish and goat. Likewise the spices popular in Indian cuisine such as turmeric, cumin and spicy chilies have also crept into traditional Fijian cooking.

Language

One of the great things about this Pacific paradise is that everyone speaks English as well as Fijian or Hindi - although there are a few idiosyncrasies.

Any word with a 'd' has an unwritten 'n' in front of it - Nadi is pronounced 'Nandi' and the delightful cold, marinated seafood dish kokoda, is 'kokonda'. You put an 'm' before the 'b' in words like Toberua (Tomberua). Sigatoka is 'Singatoka', Naigani is Ninegani'. And a 'c' is pronounced 'th', as in the Mamanuca Islands.