Tongan worship in May

By Virginia Lavaki

The month of May in the Tongan culture is a month where attention is given to the importance of family.

The first Sunday in May is focused on the children, the second week is focused on mothers and on the third Sunday the focus is on fathers.

The children’s Sunday (held last Sunday) is called ‘Fakame’ (pronounced Fah-kah-may) and is also known as ‘White Sunday’.

On this day the children have the opportunity to lead the whole service and share many different items such as songs, skits and Bible verses which they have often memorised.

The Sunday school and youth (which varies in age from newborns to over 30s) are given a space where they can express themselves and their love for God.

This develops skills such as public speaking, leadership and communication in the Tongan language.

For the diaspora Pasifika people who live abroad in places such as New Zealand, USA and Australia, Fakame is a great opportunity to showcase their language and culture.

Tua ofa atu

Virginia Lavaki is Younger Generations Multicultural Coordinator