Kava Ceremonies
Something that should not be missed during a visit to Fiji is participation in a Kava Ceremony, a Fijian tradition that dates back centuries. Kava is the dried root of a pepper plant, which is finely ground and disolved in water in a large bowl made of hardwood known as a tanoa. Before drinking, the grainy bits are drained out with a cloth, although this was traditionally done using vegetable fibres. The guest of honour is always the first to drink the Kava, which is handed to him from the Master of Ceremonies in a half coconut shell called a bilo. Before accepting the Kava, the guest of honour claps once and says "Bula!", and then drinks the Kava down in one. He hands the bilo back to the master of ceremonies and everybody claps again and says "Bula!" The master of ceremonies is the next person to drink, followed by everybody else in order of importance or social rank. The process is...
