Marriage and Family

Marriages were traditionally influenced by the families, but today young people have greater freedom in choosing marriage partners. The tradition of celebrating marriages with elaborate feasts and festivities continues.

Traditionally, Tahitian families were large, usually with many children and several generations sharing a home. It is still common for couples to live with the husband’s or wife’s parents for a time after marriage, but increased contact with Western culture has led to more nuclear families. In Polynesian culture, children are highly valued, and their upbringing is often shared by grandparents or other sets of adoptive parents (faamu). This system of informal adoption makes family relations somewhat complex.

Eating

Tahitians eat three meals a day. The main meal is in the middle of the day. Breakfast consists of bread and a hot drink. The evening meal is also light, except when it is a special occasion or people are dining in a restaurant. The Tahitian diet consists of fish and other seafood, chicken, pork, sweet potatoes, breadfruit, rice, and local fruits and vegetables such as papaya, mangoes, pineapples, bananas, and fafa, a type of spinach. Banana or papaya po’e (purées) are often baked, covered with sugar and coconut milk, and served hot for dessert. Coconut milk is also used in chicken or pork casseroles that contain fafa. Fish is often marinated before being baked or grilled. Poisson cru is raw fish marinated in lime juice, often served as part of salads. On special occasions people enjoy a traditional feast (tama’ara’a).

People in Tahiti enjoy Chinese cooking, French and other Western cuisine, as well as traditional native foods. Etiquette varies according to family practices and what is being eaten. Traditional Tahitian foods are eaten with the fingers, Chinese food with chopsticks, and Western cuisine with knives and forks. Although it may be considered impolite to refuse an offer of food, leaving some food on the plate ensures that further helpings are not served and reassures the host that the guest has been well fed.

Socializing

Tahitians shake hands when they meet, and use French greetings such as Bonjour (“Good day”) in formal situations. It is impolite not to shake hands with every person in a small gathering. Women might kiss each other on the cheek when greeting, especially after a long separation. A traditional Tahitian phrase of welcome is Ia orana!

Tahitians (and French Polynesians in general) emphasize joie de vivre, or “joy of life.” A favorite maxim is, “If you act like old friends when you first meet, you will soon feel that you are.” Tahitian hospitality is such that guests may be offered a meal and the host family will watch them enjoy it, but not eat themselves. Compliments on the hosts’ family and home are welcomed, but a guest might cause embarrassment if he or she singles out a specific item for praise. It is customary to remove one’s shoes before entering the home.

Recreation

Tahitians spend many of their leisure hours socializing, and parties and other festivities play an important part in their lives. Soccer is the national sport, but many others are enjoyed, such as boxing, volleyball, basketball, canoeing, windsurfing, swimming, fishing, and diving. Other popular recreational activities include watching television, going to the cinema, and dancing.

Holidays and Celebrations

National holidays include New Year’s Day (1 January), Easter Monday, Labour Day (1 May), Ascension, Pentecost Monday, National Bastille Day (14 July), Assumption of the Virgin Mary (15 August), Toussaint (All Saints’ Day on 1 November), Armistice Day (11 November), and Christmas Day (25 December). In France, Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, at the start of the French Revolution. In Tahiti, the Tiurai (July) festivities, which take place during the middle two weeks of the month, provide an opportunity to celebrate Polynesian warriors and Tahitian culture. Festivities then include parades, athletic competitions, dancing, pageantry, and cultural events. Dance and song competitions are popular, especially during Heiva Taupiti, a season of celebrations that begins in May and culminates with the Tiurai.

Source: Encarta Interactive World Atlas

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