The Hong Kong Samoan Community had done it again! With a jampacked venue, the Fijian Community joined in to raise the bar in celebrating the 62nd Samoan Independence Day by providing the best quality entertainment for their lovely guests last June 1, 2024.
No T3 could stop what the Samoans and Fijians had put together. Little Mario’s in Ma Wan roared with music. Families engaged in activities and laughed together to celebrate the Samoan Independence Day 2024.
The party welcomed guests on the dot at 3 pm, and the Samoan community immediately got them busy. Activities were lined up such as the following:
BASIC FIRE-KNIFE PRACTICE
Though raining cats and dogs outside, the Seiileafi Fire Knife Hong Kong were on fire in guiding the kids into spinning practice sticks — fundamentals for the art of Fire Knife Dancing.
Led by Hogan Toomalatai, the kids unleashed energetic hand-eye coordination of spinning, twirling, and throwing practice sticks, which beautifully created simple choreography. Followed by some of the group’s students, their 3-month progress was showcased to inspire commitment to learning the inspirational craft.
SOME DEMONSTRATIONS
Siva Tau, the olden-times Samoan war dance, is one of the things demonstrated and shared by the HK-Samoan community. The leaders called in the male guests to participate. Here’s how it’s done.
Working side-by-side with Wesley Feausi, the kids and the kids at heart, learned some Samoan words too. Complete with actions, simple directions engaged them to warm up with a call out to mili which means rubbing the hands together for warm-up. There’s also pati, meaning ‘clap’ and lua pati, ‘two claps’. The brave men of the occasion who volunteered to dance with the rest of the Samoan male community chanted away strongly and proudly.
Kuki Toomalatai, who flew from Taiwan, graced the event with a beautiful Samoan dance choreography as dancing has always been a part of the Samoan culture. She encouraged grace and meticulous hand movements that came with the grand offer of a smile.
The community featured coconut husking as a necessity in every Samoan household. They used it for cooking and weaving baskets. Samoan traditional houses (fale) also use sennit rope, made from coconut trees. So, to feature these indigenous uses, volunteers were called up to husk the coconut, extract coconut milk and wrap the luau.
Photo Credits: HK Community
The Samoan community demonstrated how to husk the coconut. Authentic costumes worn that day added to the party’s vibe to showcasing it in that evening’s entertainment. Most of them are made of coconut leaves.
Then, at 5:30 pm, people gathered indoors to witness the Ava Ceremony. This solemn ritual precedes every important occasion among Samoans. With Seiileafi’s Taupo, Brave Toomalatai, the guests had a warm welcome including Hong Kong’s Samoan consulate himself, Consul Ramesh Mahtani.
NIGHTFALL
Dinner was served after grace was asked for the food and Junior Su’a prayed on behalf of the Samoan Community. The Ava Ceremony followed which opened the festivities. The people enjoyed different Samoan food and some delicacies that the Fijian community had brought to add to the variety. Here’s what they enjoyed!
FOAFOA
When the people finished eating, the boys blew the foafoa (conch shell) to call the guests to gather. It was an opening call for the magnificent entertainment the Samoan community had prepared featuring traditional dances. Unfortunately, the much sought-after fire knife dance had to be done indoors because of the weather.
A beautiful guest’s birthday was also one of the night’s highlights, giving everybody a wonderful experience of warmth, camaraderie and unity.
ENDING THE NIGHT
The ender of the night was the Taualuga dance which served as the centrepiece of the Samoan culture. Brave Toomalatai, the chosen Taupo, was led to the centre of the dancefloor to entertain the guests. With her authentic Samoan dance moves that are graceful and expressive, Kuki Toomalatai of Lototasi Apparel and Accessories dressed Brave beautifully. It was the concluding number of the night.
The space where the Taupo dances encapsulates how the Samoans are truly protective of their culture. It also represents their united community, and how it relates their culture and tradition to their surrounding environment. Men surround the Taupo as she dances, protecting the ceremonial princess from the people. Guests’ appreciation were put on Brave’s dress as a way of honoring her.
THROUGH THE YEARS
The Samoan Independence Day 2024 celebration in Hong Kong left something remarkable to the guests that night. As the community expands, opportunities and families are also increasing in number to which, an important legacy is promised. Being united as a people while being seen is the feeling I get each time I come to Samoan celebrations. They have immense love for everybody. They are warm, accommodating and happy. Their energy is overflowing and they are proud of who they are. That’s something impressive and amazing!
Thank you for reading! Welcome to click this link just in case you want to see how it was celebrated last year. If you wish to take trial classes to see if Fire Knife is for you, the Samoan Independence Day 2024 entertainment and demonstrations during the day were led by Seiileafi Fire Knife Hong Kong. They offer Polynesian Dances too. Lastly, let me interest you in a book series by a favourite Samoan writer, Lani Wendt Young’s TELESA series. You’ll love this for sure!
