Talofa - Hello in Samoan
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Talofa is a common greeting in Samoan. We present to you some interesting information about Samoa.
In case you are from Samoa and wish to report inconsistencies, please reply to this topic.
Samoan, a Polynesian language, is an official language of the Samoan Islands, comprising Samoa and the United States territory of American Samoa, alongside English. In fact, Samoan is the first language for most of the Samoa Islands' population.
Here are some astonishing facts about the Samoan language and Samoa,
The Samoan language consists of Latin-based alphabets.
(Image Courtesy: http://blog.honoluluacademy.org/)The ʻie Tōga', a finely woven mat, serves a highly significant role in Samoan cultural ceremonies including weddings, funerals, and title bestowal ceremonies of matai chiefs. The mats are woven by women and graded based on the degree of shine and softness. These mats also act as family heirlooms or are exchanged as gifts.
(Image Courtesy: https://alchetron.com/)84% of the 37 species and subspecies of Samoa’s terrestrial birds are found nowhere else in the world. Some examples of these birds include the Samoan tooth-billed pigeon, Samoan wood rail, Samoan ground-dove, etc.
(Image Courtesy: https://www.cultureshock-adventure.com/)After the European missionaries introduced Samoans to cricket, the game became highly popular in the country. Over the years, the game evolved on the islands in the region and is known as Kilikiti. The game is the national sport of Samoa.
(Image Courtesy: https://www.tourtravelworld.com/)Samoa is an exotic destination with numerous attractions, both natural and cultural. The landscape of Samoa features volcanic islands, lava fields, tropical rainforests, long stretches of sandy beaches, waterfalls, mountains, caves, etc. Some of the phenomenal places are Palolo Deep National Marine Reserve, The Dwarves Cave, Papaseea Sliding Rocks, Lake Lanoto’o National Park, Tafua Peninsula Rainforest Preserve, Alofaaga Blowholes, O Le Pupu-Pue National Park, Papapapaitai Falls, Falealupo, Robert Louis Stevenson Museum. Besides, you can visit Maketi Fou, a popular food market, and just 10min away from this market you can find an amazing place to shop exquisite jewellery, lovely baskets, and enjoy traditional Samoan music.
(Image Courtesy: https://www.theurbanlist.com/)Samoan dishes are one of the exotic culinary arts in this world, most of their cuisines are focused on coconut. If you visit Samoa, you simply cannot miss the following delicacies, Luau or Palusami (Coconut Milk Baked in Taro Leaves), Faiai Eleni (Fish in Coconut Cream), Fa’apapa (Sweet Coconut Bread), Palusami (Corned Beef in Coconut Milk), Fa’ausi (Bread Coated with Coconut Sauce), Kopai (Sweet Dessert Dumplings), Pani Popo (Homemade Bread Rolls), Panikeke (Sweet Banana Fritter), Sapasui (Samoan Chop Suey), Samoan Chicken with Coconut Rice, Chicken Kale Moa.
(Image Courtesy: https://showsta.com/)People of Samoa celebrate many festivals around the year be it traditional, cultural, sporting, or religious. You can also take part in some of their festivals like White Sunday, the annual event to celebrate children; Teuila Festival, one of the most celebrated annual events that include a cultural display, traditional dance, fashion parades, cricket tournaments, canoe racing, and fautasi race; Tafesilafa’i Festival, a celebration of Pacific Island culture; Apia Jazz Festival, Samoa International Game Fishing Tournament, Apia Arts and Crafts Festival.
Hope you like it, if you know any other fascinating facts about Samoa, let us all know!
Source: https://www.familysearch.org/
https://www.worldatlas.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/