Traditional customs of the Kingdom of Tonga

The Kingdom of Tonga is referred to as "Tonga" for short. The name of Tonga originates from the name of the main island in the country, which is evolved and developed from the local indigenous people's call for their main island "Tangatab." In the local dialect,"Tonga" means "holy land" or "sacred island". Later, Li gradually referred to the renovation of the archipelago in general, and it was named as its current name. Since 950 AD to the present, Tonga has experienced four dynasties. It was not until June 4, 1970 that Tonga officially declared independence and became a member of the Commonwealth.

Tonga is located in the western South Pacific. It is about 650 kilometers away from Fiji in the west and consists of three archipelago: Tangatab, Habai and Wau, with a total of 172 small islands. Tonga covers an area of 747 square kilometers. The population was 94,535 million (1986), mainly Tongan. Tonga is divided into districts and towns. The capital, Nuku 'alofa. The currency is "Panga". Tongan and English are spoken widely.

The vast majority of Tongans believe in Christianity. They regard Sunday as the Sabbath. On this day, people are not allowed to go out to work and are only allowed to do miscellaneous things at home. It is also strictly prohibited to bare your chest and back in public places. They taboo "13", believing that "13" is unlucky and a number that will bring bad luck and disaster to people. They avoid talking to each other while eating, believing it to be impolite. They avoid giving flowers as gifts. They most abhorred people saying that he has a slim figure, thinking that this is worse than scolding him. Because they regard obesity as the most beautiful symbol, and their slim figure as ugliness.

The general characteristics of Tongan social customs can be summarized in the following words:

Tonga ranks among Oceania, where the sun shines first;

Most citizens believe in Christianity, and they must abide by it when sending flowers;

The "thirteen" number should be avoided, and fat is beautiful and thin is ugly;

Pay attention to courtesy and etiquette, treat others kindly and gently;

Welcome guests are accustomed to hosting an "whole pig banquet", and "kava wine" is warmly presented.

There are the following characteristics in terms of life details:

The most solemn etiquette for Tongans to receive distinguished guests is to hold a "whole pig banquet." At the banquet, all the participants sat down on the floor regardless of the host or guest. The men wore various ornaments on their heads and bodies, tied a "Laval Laval" grass skirt around their waist, or surrounded a waist mat as a welcome dress. Women wear flowers on their heads. After the roasted piglets are made, the elderly first leads everyone to make a prayer mat. Only after the prayer mat can they cut off the first piece of roast meat and present it to the guests for a taste first. Then everyone shared the roast pig. Usually, girls and young men will perform wonderful song and dance performances during the banquet to boost the food and add a warm atmosphere to the banquet. Tongans also have the custom of offering "kava wine" to guests coming from afar. Their custom is the same as that of Fijians. When drinking "kava wine", it must be accompanied by a sacred ceremony with strict etiquette. Generally, they do not have the traditional etiquette of offering "kava wine" in various ceremonies to welcome and send off guests.

Tongan people have extremely special aesthetics. Whether they are men, women and children, they are accustomed to "taking fat as beauty","taking fat as pride","taking fat as precious", and "taking pride in being fat". They believe that the more beautiful a woman is, the fatter she should be and the shorter her neck should be. Some women who are slightly less obese often wrap a large amount of cloth around their waists to pretend to be fat in order to increase their beauty. There is one of the fattest people in the Kingdom of Tonga, weighing as much as 196.76 kilograms. When they say hello, they are generally accustomed to calling by name rather than by surname, thinking that this is more cordial.

When Tongan people meet guests on social occasions, they usually shake hands and are accustomed to greeting each other and exchanging greetings. When people of lower rank in Tonga meet with higher rank, they must perform a "Moi-Moi" kiss on the foot.

According to Tongan custom, shake hands and express verbal greetings when meeting. Tongans usually call each other by their first name, and only use their surname and title when they want to show special respect for each other. Although cutlery is often provided on the table, Tongans like to eat with their hands. In their home, if you sit on the ground on a straw mat, you will be welcomed by the family. Giving gifts is appropriate, but only between close friends. Flowers are not considered a gift.

Tongan people eat potatoes as their staple food, and coconuts and bananas are also important foods for them. They like to eat astringent green bananas, but once the bananas are ripe, they are no longer welcome. They like the noble local folk food "Roast Whole Pig". That is, roast the whole piglet with firewood. The roasted piglets are tender on the outside and orange on the inside, giving off an attractive aroma. They like to taste China dishes. Eating with your hands is used to eating.

Tongan people have the following characteristics in terms of food preferences:

① Pay attention to dining, pay attention to having more vegetables and less meat, and pay attention to the richness and quantity of dishes.

② The taste generally does not like too salty, but likes sweet and sour taste.

③ The staple food is potato, and I also like to taste flour food.

④ Non-staple food

I like to eat pork, mutton, whale meat, fish, chicken, duck, eggs, etc.; vegetables like taro, cabbage, cucumber, tomatoes, pumpkin and other vegetables; I like to use palm oil, pepper, salt, etc. for seasonings.

③ The method prefers dishes made by roasting, stir-frying, roasting, and grilling.

③ Chinese food likes China's vegetarian, Shandong and Cantonese cuisine.

③ The recipes appreciate the delicious dishes such as large platter, roast suckling pig, winter melon cup, Dinghu vegetarian, Luohan Zhai, sweet and sour fish, Dezhou braised chicken, Huo Kei prawns, juice fish balls, hand-grabbed mutton and other flavors.

Shuijiu likes the local "kava wine"(called wine is actually a beverage); likes to drink fruit juice, coconut juice, cocoa and other feeds, and likes to drink green tea.

Fruit likes to eat coconut, green banana, melon, pineapple and other fruits; dried fruit likes to eat peanuts and so on.