Explanation Of Tonga: Beginners Guide

 Have you ever heard of the country Tonga? If you haven’t then this is the right place for you. Tonga is a vibrant and cheerful country who was so friendly they got dubbed by James Cook as The Friendly Islands.  Although being discovered by one of the most notorious British explorers, Tonga isn’t really that well known in western countries that aren’t that populated by Polynesians.  In this essay I will break down the 3 categories that make up Tonga which are the religious beliefs , dance culture and people. 

Tongan people or Polynesian people in general are one of the most religious people I’ve ever seen or met. Tonga especially is very religious, in fact it’s so religious that the flag is designed through religious belief. The reason why Tonga’s flag is red in colour is to represent the blood of Christ and even has a cross on the flag as well. Tonga is mostly open through Monday to Saturday but on Sundays every store is closed. Most of Tonga is very religious so most people would all go to church on Sunday.  Tonga has a sort of bell system that is called Fafangu which rings only 2 times. The first ring means church is about to start and the second ring means that you go inside the church now.  Now you know some facts about Tonga’s religious system. Now we’ll talk about the colourful and cheerful culture of the Tongan people.

Tongan people have a very interesting and traditional dance. The boys demonstrate masculinity and participate in a fast paced traditional dance called the Mako. The Mako has very high energy music playing in the background while the boys dance in sync to the music with high energy. A common thing that the boys do as the introduction of the Mako is a Fakatapu. It’s a sort of welcoming song to the guests who are watching and is calm and soothing. The Fakatapu isn’t always done as the boys might want to do something different but it is a common thing to do. Then we move on to the girls. The girls traditionally do a Tau'olunga that focuses on the melody of the music. The girls also do Fakatapu but like I said before, they are more gentle and focus more on the calmness of the music. The boys and girls however can do a group dance which is called Mauluulu the Laka Laka, Soke. The Mauluulu is more of a sit down dance as the boys and girls sit down and unlike the mako there’s no exaggerated dance moves. The Laka Laka is when the boys and girls stand up and dance to the music while just standing in one spot and not really moving everywhere like the Mako. The Soke is when the boys and girls use sticks and can move around and is very high energy. The Tongan dance culture is very interesting and unique. Let’s now move on to the Tongan people themselves.

Tongan people are very friendly people. Sports is a very popular thing for young adolescents or the elderly. Rugby is like religion to Tonga as lots of Polynesians love rugby including the elderly. Rugby Union is very popular among Tongan people and even Rugby League. Tongan people are very fun people to be around and are full of jokes and humour. The adults are strict when they need to be but when around their friends are joyful and laugh a lot. Overall Tongan people are carefree and relaxed people to be around who are serious when the occasion calls for it but always make sure to laugh with their friends after. They are proud of their culture and identity which is why if you were at a rugby stadium and Tonga was playing you would see dozens and dozens of red t-shirts and red flags all cheering for their boys who are representing their country.

In conclusion Tonga is a religious country with an interesting dance culture and friendly carefree people. Not only that but it is a beautiful country with the bluest oceans you will ever see. So if you were to go on a vacation to any country perhaps put Tonga on one of your go to places and I promise you you won’t regret it.