Tonga Local Customs

  Parliament Days
by Jim_Eliason
 
  • Parliament Days
      Parliament Days
    by Jim_Eliason
  • Parliament Days
      Parliament Days
    by Jim_Eliason
  • Parliament Days
      Parliament Days
    by Jim_Eliason
  • Parliament Days
      Parliament Days
    by Jim_Eliason
  • Parliament Days
      Parliament Days
    by Jim_Eliason
 
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Currency

by pure1942

Tonga has it’s own currency, the pa’anga, usually represented with a dollar sign and denoted by the ISO code TOP. There are branches of Westpac and ANZ in Nuku’alofa and there are ATM machines located at these banks. Westpac near the Parliament building in Nuku’alofa has a reliable ATM.One Tongan pa’anga can be divided into 100 seniti. There are 7 pa’anga banknotes – 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 and 6 coins – 1,2,5,10,20 and 50.Currency exchange facilities are available at Fua’amotu airportRates correct as of the 29/10/10€1 = TOP$2.64NZ$1 = TOP$1.45AUS$1 = TOP$1.86US$ = TOP$1.89¥100 = TOP$2.35

Flag

by pure1942

The flag of the Kingdom of Tonga is red with a corner square of white bearing a red cross. The cross represents Tonga’s faith in God and Christianity, the white represents purity and the red background represents the blood shed by Jesus on the cross and reminds Tongans that he died to save them. There is a clause in the 1875 constitution of Tonga stating that ‘The flag of Tonga shall never be altered and shall always be the flag of the Kingdom.

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Mata Maka Beer

by pure1942

Mata Maka Beer is the closest thing you’ll come to a local brew on Tonga. While you can only buy Mata Maka in Tonga, the beer is actually brewed and bottled in Auckland, New Zealand! There was a brewery on Tongatapu in the past but this went broke and closed down. Now Tongans have to ship their beer from New Zealand, over 2000km away!The beer itself is fine but not hugely flavoursome.

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Language

by pure1942

Whilst English is widely spoken in Tonga, the country does have its own Polynesian language which is closely related to Samoan, Hawaiian, Tahitian and Maori. The official name for the Tongan language is lea fakatonga. In the Tongan alphabet there are only 16 letters as opposed to the 26 used in English. Below are some common Tongan words. Using a few of these will go down well with the Tongan locals. Even learning the words for ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’ will be appreciated.Hello – Malo e leileiThank you – MaloYou’re welcome – ‘lo MaloPlease – Faka molemoleExcuse me – KatakiGoodbye (to someone staying) – Nofo aGoodbye (to someone leaving) – ‘Alu aIf you are lucky enough to be granted an audience with the King don't try to use normal Tongan. Members of royal family speak a different dialect of Tongan which children in Tongan schools also have to learn in case they ever meet members of the...

Tapa

by pure1942

Like the woven mats, tapa cloth is another traditional Tonga craft. When someone is married or gives birth to a child in Tonga, or indeed are involved in any important occasion, they are presented with metres of tapa cloth.Tapa or ngatu is made by hand from the bark of the mulberry tree. After two years of care the tree is cut down and its bark stripped. The hard outer part of the bark is removed and the soft white inner lining removed, dried and then rehydrated by soaking in water overnight. Next the bark or ‘tutu’ is hammered repeatedly with a mallet called an ike until it reaches the right thickness and texture. The cloth can then be painted in a skilful process, Coconut leaves are sewn to the underside of the cloth in the desired pattern while a brown dye called koka is rubbed on front marking out the pattern from the leaves. This dye is made by squeezing the juice from the bark of...

Fakaleiti

by pure1942

In Tonga fakaleiti are male children who decide, of their families decide, to behave and dress in a feminine manner. This is also pretty common in other pacific islands such as Samoa and Fiji. It is more common in larger families where the mother has had many sons and needs a ‘daughter’ figure to help around the house and so therefore brings up one of the boys as a girl. In Tonga, fakaleiti are an accepted part of society put can be subjected to intense mockery and contempt by mainstream males who consider themselves ‘real’ men as opposed to fakaleiti, who they see as weak. The term fakaleiti comes from the tongan word faka – meaning ‘to have the way of’ and the the tongan word for lady.

Cemeteries

by pure1942

Tongan cemeteries are a unique sight in themselves. Usually set in a copse of frangipani trees, Tongan graves look like smaller version of the stepped royal tombs or langi in which kings were buried. These burial mounds are usually marked with flags and banners and surrounded with seashells, flowers, volcanic rocks and more strangely...inverted beer bottles.

Religion

by pure1942

Religion plays a huge part in Tongan life. On Sundays the island grinds to a halt and it can be difficult to find any shops or businesses open. Transport options are severely limited on Sundays and sport is forbidden. Sundays as a day of rest are so important in Tonga that contracts signed or business deals agreed on Sundays are void. Nearly all Tongans attend church on Sundays and even the smallest villages will have at least one and probably several churches. A huge number of denominations are represented on Tonga with the Free Wesleyan Church being the most popular, closely followed by Seventh-Day Adventists, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Catholics, Anglicans, Mormons and many many other smaller religious groups. You can openly see Tongans devotion to church on Sundays and as you drive around the islands you can see churches everywhere. Tongan religious celebrations...

Mats

by pure1942

Mat weaving is a traditional art in Tonga usually carried out by groups of women who weave the mats by hand. These hand woven mats are used in homes and as coverings for tables and furniture but they are also worn by Tongan men around their waist. When used in this way, the mats are called ‘ta’ovala’ and are used as a sign of respect. This is especially evident on Sundays when men wear their finest ta’ovala to church. This custom supposedly comes from the tradition of returning seamen to cut the sails of their boats to wrap around their waist to cover their naked genitals so as not to appear before their king naked. Women can also wear a shorter mat known as a ‘kiekie’.

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Kava

by pure1942

Drinking Kava is a custom common in many Pacific islands but the Tongans take it even more seriously than many of their Polynesian cousins. Kava is a pepper plant grown on Pacific islands. When it is three years old it is cut and dried before it is ground into a powder, mixed with water and strained into a large kava bowl called a ‘kumete’ ready to be consumed. While not an alcoholic drink, Kava can have a similar if milder effect if drank in large amounts. It didn’t taste particularly pleasing to out unaccustomed palates but it did have relaxing effects as well as numbing our mouths slightly!There is important etiquette surrounding the drinking of Kava. Women are usually not allowed to drink Kava, except on their wedding day. It is usually performed with the participants sitting cross-legged in a circle around the kumete containing the Kava. The kava is poured into a coconut bowl called...

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Questions and Answers

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Q:  Hi all, After a week in Ha'apai, we have a 1-day layover in Nuku'alofa before catching an early morning flight to New Zealand.... 

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A: I thought I might have something to add, but the above has it pretty well covered. Toni's place as basic but adequate, and the good thing is, they will wake you and get... 

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