day of rest

today, about 98% of these countries' population are devoted christians.

but it was not always like this. interestingly, before the christians arrived in the south pacific, religious beliefs were quite similar on most islands. for centuries, there had been myths of several gods, demi-gods and spirits that were worshipped everywhere between hawai'i and new zealand. this started to change in the early 19th century. in fact, spanish catholics tried to bring their belief to micronesia as soon as the 17th century, but at that time without success. the next effort was made in 1797, when english protestants set up first missionaries in tonga and tahiti, but these also failed. about 20 years later, after more missionaries from new zealand and the united states joined in, the local population finally abandoned old beliefs and practices, and christianity successfully spread out from tonga, tahiti and hawai'i throughout the pacific.

today, the christian religion is of great importance to the people in the south pacific, as can be seen not only on sundays, but also by the many churches dominating most villages. interestingly, even today, missionaries are still very active here. indeed, almost nobody needs to be convinced to believe in the christian god. but there are many different christian denominations competing against each other. at the moment, especially mormons are the fastest growing group.

so, being a traveller to tonga or samoa, what can you do on a sunday? well, do what the locals do: rest and go to church (don't forget to wear your best clothes). the latter will not only reward you with some spiritual blessing but also an unexpected experience, as south pacific church-goers are very passionate singers.

but listen for yourself..

beside the singing, samoans really love christmas songs. so, already months before christmas eve, christmas tunes are played constantly everywhere. but i have to admit, travelling in a taxi for about 45 minutes while listening to the same three christmas evergreens again and again feels somehow kind of quirky - at least in mid-october in the eternal summer of a tropical country.

btw: fiji is a little bit different - the christians here are of course as devoted as in any other south pacific country, but as 30% of fiji's population originate from india, there is a big hindu community for whom sunday is not special at all.