Playing the ukulele during Pasifika Celebration Day 2023 in Levin.
Playing the ukulele during Pasifika Celebration Day 2023 in Levin.
Fale Pasifika Horowhenua held its annual Pasifika Celebration Day on Saturday, March 11, at the Levin Domain. An estimated 4000 people enjoyed cultural performances from Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa and Tonga.
Local church groups put on spectacular performances that included Samoan AOG Levin Life Church, Samoan Methodist, Samoan Catholic Youth and Siasi ʻo Tonga Tauʻatāina.
The crowd also enjoyed strong performances by Taitoko School Poly Group and Horowhenua College’s Loto Taha.
A special guest group, the Shades, wowed the crowd with their mix of opera, blended with Pacific songs and comedy.
A feature of the event was the interactive cultural village where people were able to watch a traditional ava ceremony, one of the most important customs of Samoa.
It is a ritual in which a ceremonial beverage, the ava, is shared to mark important and special occasions.
Horowhenua District Mayor Bernie Wanden participated in the ceremony, along with members of Fale Pasifika Horowhenua and a representative of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples.
The Fonoti family, of Levin, took on the role of delivering activities in the cultural village, including hosting the ava ceremony, applying temporary Pacific tattoos, singing, and playing the ukulele and drums. It was a great way to share in cultural activities and enable attendees to be part of it.
Image 1 of 11: Pasifika Celebration Day Levin 2023
Towards the end of the event, local band LMB warmed up the stage for Brown Hill with Wayno, who had the audience singing along and dancing.
The weather played its part putting on a beautiful evening where the audience was able to enjoy Pacific Island cuisine, relax and be part of the atmosphere.
Fale Pasifika Horowhenua chairperson, Aleni Feagaiga was over the moon with the turnout saying “we could not have had a better day, there were plenty of stalls offering a range of food and the performances were outstanding”.
The aim of the event is to share in Pacific Island culture, cultural identity and bringing cultures together”. Feagaiga commented that “the family friendly environment was one of connectedness showing a strong community, the happiness and smiles said it all”.
Feagaiga said “we are a small group of volunteers who put in a lot of hard work for our community, we extend our humble thanks to our sponsors and those who supported us, fa’afetai lava; malo ‘aupito”.
