And the results I must say, isn’t much of a surprise. For anyone and everyone who has been around Fiji for at least one Christmas, the overwhelming good tidings spirit can be seen and felt in two forms:

1) Alcohol, and the effects there after…

2) Lovo, and the food that’s consumed there after…

image source: http://eecue.com Dave Bullock (eecue)

To be fair, both activities do go hand in hand, (massive generalization here, don’t send emails asking where I get my facts from, they are usually observed, not recorded) and are usually accomplished either one after the other, or at the same time, depending on how religious your father is. However, the closer you are to either the teenage years, or an alcoholic friend (whichever comes first), the more likely you, and everyone else around you is likely to indulge in the good ol’ happy juice.

image source: www.rayjeanne.com

Family get-togethers are almost always marked by a significant event, Christmas being the primary reason (though fundraising for a cause via the trusty bowl a.k.a. gunusede is another), and where there be families, there will be also food. Or lovo food to be exact. (ZOMG there’s a wikipedia entry!) The mainstay of all local family gatherings, lovo food generally spells death for countless pigs, chicken and healthy green dalo leaves everywhere, as the backyard hole is fired up once again, and the familiar smell of smoke and service station firewood permeates the senses, leaving behind a growling stomach and wishful thinking.

A small percentage really don’t bother with Christmas, considering it either a commercial ploy to get you to spend your hard earned cash, an excuse to stay home and catch up with the zzzzs, or simply an extra day to swipe the bowl. Whatever suits them to a T.

In the end, while our little poll may not be of Tebbutt quality, at the very least we are given a small peak as to how exactly do the cannibals here go about celebrating their Christmas. Of course, next on the local celebratory calendar – New Year.

Now that one’s guaranteed to be a cracker

Was there a Christmas where you actually didn’t do one of the above mentioned activities?

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