If you dream of paradisiacal beaches in Polynesia you should visit the two Samoas, countries of Oceania that are formed by a few of the islands of the Samoan archipelago located in the South Pacific and that has some of the most curious data. If you want to know some of the curiosities of Samoa more striking, keep reading!
To start with the most surprising thing about this nation we will tell you that it is an island country that has the curious characteristic of being one of the first to start the day by its time zone. Does it start to interest you even more? That's because you're a supercurioso, then more curiosities of Samoa!
50 curiosities of Samoa that you probably ignored
1. Because of its position in the Pacific Ocean it is the first country in the world, together with Kiribati , to start the new days.
2. They have not always been the first to start the new day. In fact, his previous schedule was the same as that of California, with whom he has a common past. But this also meant that it had a time difference of up to twenty-one hours with cities like Sydney , which did not make any practical sense today. It was in 2012 that they became, in some way, the most early risers in the world.
3. Due to this change, in Samoa they "lost" 2 days in the year 2011! His calendar jumped directly from December 29 to December 31, which helped them to position themselves one day ahead. So they are the only territory in the world where December 30, 2011 never existed and, in addition, they were the first country in the world to enter in 2012 along with neighboring Kiribati, another archipelago with which it shares time zone.
4. This change in schedule also caused the inhabitants of Western Samoa, of the Independent State of Samoa, to live almost 24 hours ahead of their neighbors in American Samoa, of which they are barely 125 kilometers apart.
5. One of the curiosities of Samoa is that, as a country, it conforms only the western half of the Samoan archipelago . This is because it is a territory that was occupied by Europeans first and by Americans later, who divided the islands into two parts. In this way, the German Samoa to the west, while the eastern islands were referred to as American Samoa and they belonged U.S . Later, German Samoa was renamed as Western Samoa , and in 1997 changed its name to be simply called "Samoa". This fact angered the inhabitants of American Samoa, since they consider that this fact implied to take possession of the name of the whole archipelago, reason why still today they continue being directed to them like "the western ones" to differentiate them from the Eastern Samoa.
6. Another of the curiosities of Samoa is found in their language. Due to its colonial past in British hands, English became one of the most spoken languages, to the point that it currently constitutes the official language of the country . However, this has not prevented the Samoan from continuing to speak throughout its territory, the original language of the first inhabitants of the islands.
7. It is estimated that the original inhabitants of these islands arrived in the archipelago more than 3,500 years ago.
8. One of the Samoan curiosities that can attract tourists the most is that, despite the strong European influence that it has had since the 19th century to the present, has preserved most of its customs and culture .
In fact, the Faa Samoa , which literally means "traditional Samoan way", still remains the predominant culture in the archipelago, which includes aspects of political life, social life, the calendar of many of the local festivities, as well as its language and mythology.
9. One of Samoa's customs that has survived to the present day and that still has a strong religious component despite being performed as an acrobatic spectacle for tourists and visitors is the Fire Staff ceremony .
This ceremony was performed by the Samoans before the battle to ask for the protection of the gods or after it to thank the victory in case of obtaining it. It consists of dancing at the same time that acrobatics are performed with a cane, at the ends of which two rags are tied to which fire is set, which gives name to the ceremony and dance.
10. Even though the actor Dwayne Johnson It is original California , his mother, Ata Fitisemanu Maivia, comes from one of the families of the aristocracy of Samoa. In fact, the king of Samoa awarded the American actor the title of Seiuli in 2004 when he visited the country . Since then, Johnson has become one of the best ambassadors of Samoan culture around the world, being the sponsor of the national rugby team of the peaceful country and performing charity events in favor of spreading the Samoan tradition.
11. In the nineteenth century the explorers of Europe knew Samoa, all its islands (including the area of American Samoa), as "Navigator Islands". The reason? The incredible ability to navigate of the inhabitants of the place.
12. The official name of what was once German Samoa and Western Samoa is, today, Independent State of Samoa.
13. The slogan of the Independent State of Samoa is "Faavae i le Atua Samoa" which means: "Samoa relies on God":
14. American Samoa, on the other hand, is one of the 14 unincorporated territories of the United States. UU
15. The slogan of American Samoa is "Samoa, Muamua Le Atua" which means "Samoa, God comes first".
16. Another curiosity of American Samoa is that it is the last country to receive the New Year.
17. The Independent State of Samoa, on the other hand, is the first country to receive the New Year.
18. Among the curiosities of Samoa is a literary: Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of the "Island of the Treasure" (1882), moved in 1890 to Samoa, to try to alleviate with its tropical climate the devastating effects of tuberculosis that I suffered. He lived a season in these islands but, sadly, he died in them.
19. Robert Louis Stevenson deeply admired the Samoans and always stood in their favor when they faced the relentless colonial power of their time. His friendship with them earned him the reputation of being a man of great "manas". The "mana" is a power or supernatural force of the spirit, according to the Samoan culture. Knowing this, it is easy to intuit the respect and good relationship you shared with the local community.
20. The mansion in which Robert Louis Stevenson lived became a museum dedicated to the figure of the author.
21. In Samoa they have their own version of cricket. It is called kilikiti and is a very personal variant of the original sport, which the Samoans adapted to their way of living in community and its norms. For example: there is no official size of the team, there are no limits in terms of gender or age, among other curious features. In fact, there is still work being done to unify some standards for this game, although given the calm and peaceful pace of life in the area, it could take a while to arrive. Until then, everyone to play and enjoy!
22. One of the Samoan curiosities of which we have already given you a small contribution is the Samoan traditional way of living, the Faa Samoan , which is the center of the existence of the inhabitants of this place. The essence of the Samoan fa'a is the family, an extended family to which they refer as 'Aiga .
The family nucleus is so essential, that it is considered that the bigger a family is, the greater its power. The idea of belonging to this family group is so basic that the daily life of the Samoans is marked by the "we", never by the "me". Everything a Samoan does is for and for the family.
23. From the Samoan fa'a, the traditional system of "chiefs" also emerges, known as " Fa'amatai " . Representatives of this ancient power play a role of mediation, also between official entities and the people and often solve problems within communities, even international! As well as perform ceremonies.
24. The Samoan tattoos, called "Tatau", are also famous and have a very profound meaning for the natives of these islands: they represent their spiritual and cultural heritage.
25. The Samoans were one of the first tattoo artists in history and are currently considered the best in this art.
26. In Samoa, the Pe'a or malofie , the traditional tattoo that goes from the waist to the knee is considered a rite of passage for native men. What is special about skin painting? This particular tattoo involves an extremely painful process, since it is done with traditional tools made by hand. Bones, shark teeth, shells, wood ... Everything is used to draw this tattoo, whose creation can take weeks. The rite supposes a lot of pain and fortitude, for that reason it is required that the tattooed one be accompanied by trustworthy people that give him support. When the tattoo is finished, the respect towards this individual on the part of the community increases very much, until the point in which perhaps someday it can earn the right to be "boss".
27. An unfinished tattoo, which would mean that the aspirant has not been able to endure the suffering, brings embarrassment to the family. And you've read the importance of this for the Samoans ...
28. Another of the curiosities of Samoa is that if you travel there you may come across many men wearing skirts, even if they are service police. This garment is called lavalava and it is a traditional attire perfectly normalized and accepted in the islands. Does not it remind you a little of the skirts worn by the Scots?
29. This is perhaps one of the most striking Samoan curiosities. In these islands they have a third genus, called Fa'afafine . These are men who, although according to our Western culture they would be seen as feminine, are not considered either male or female or homosexual.
Next a documentary (in English) about this third genre, Fa'afafine :
30. 98% of the population of the Independent State of Samoa is Christian.
31. 98.3% of the population of American Samoa is Christian.
32. Job opportunities in Samoa are very limited, which is why many Samoans emigrate. In fact, almost twice the population living in the islands today lives outside of them, in countries such as Australia, New Zealand or the USA. UU
33. The contribution of Samoans who have emigrated is so important that almost 20% of the country's GDP comes from foreign countries, from which migrants send money to their families.
34. Due to this lack of opportunities on the islands, it is typical for families to encourage young people to travel and earn a living abroad, always helping the family that remains in Samoa.
35. Traditional Samoan food is prepared by the young men of the family.
36. Typical dishes of traditional Samoan cuisine are cooked in a ground oven called "umu". The young people of the families get up very early on Sundays to prepare this meal, which involves catching fish, cutting meat, heating an oven, opening coconuts and much more. Finally, the taste of what is cooked in the "umu" and the appreciation of the family rewards the boys who receive great respect from the community!
37. Another of the curiosities of Samoa is that they have a serious problem with obesity . Approximately half of the population of these islands is obese and it is not only by genetic predisposition. Obesity is considered a way to demonstrate your good health, wealth and happiness, since historically the bosses were the ones who ate the most in the community. Thus, the fatness was related to a status symbol. Nowadays it is a matter of overcoming this idea, trying to save the poor Samoans the health problems that this excess weight brings.
38. The heads of the Samoan communities are known as "Matai".
39. If you ever get on a bus in Samoa, do not be surprised if someone offers you you feel in her skirt . In this country they are extremely educated and it is considered normal to offer those who do not find a place on the bus, who sit on the knees of the lucky ones who are already seated. And they sit one on another without shame. It is not necessary to know each other, it is a simple gesture of humanity that contrasts with the little empathy of Western countries when it comes to giving up the site, even to people who would need it as old people and pregnant women.
40. Until 1990 only the matai (heads of families and communities) could vote.
41. Samoans are known throughout Polynesia as "happy people", for their pacifism, joy and love for nature.
42. In Samoa, they grow bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes and fish. All these products are the basis of Samoan gastronomy.
43. The 'Ie tōga They are a kind of carpets made by women that are invaluable for the Samoans. They are given as gifts and play an essential role in the ceremonies and represent the traditional richness of the native families. They are exchanged in great events such as weddings and funerals or by blessing a new building or inaugurating, for example, a church.
There are 'Ie tōga so old and valuable that they have their own name.
44. Among the curiosities of Samoa we found one legend that explains how the coconuts were created, whose origin is in the island Savai'i '.
The story introduces us to a very beautiful young woman, Sina, and her pet eel. This eel had been raised by Sina, but when he reached maturity he fell in love with her.
Sina noticed a change in the behavior of the eel and fled from it, to a neighboring town. However, the eel did not take long to find it and Sina saw the animal watching her from a lake in the village. Sina screamed in terror and the villagers came to their aid, killing the eel, who believed they wanted to attack the young woman. In its last death rattles, the eel made a request to Sina: to bury its body in the sand.
Sina, moved by the death of the pet she had raised, did as she asked. Soon, from the place where the eel lay, a coconut tree appeared. When he removed the shell of a coconut that he picked up from the tree, in it he could see three marks that reminded the two eyes and the mouth of the fish.
One of these slits-the one that coincided with the imaginary mouth of the animal-was used for drinking. When Sina drank it was like he was kissing the eel. Who, after his death had achieved the longed kiss.
45. Another of the curiosities of Samoa is that, although the origin of the name Samoa is uncertain, one version points out that "Moa" means "center". So, in the Samoan language, "Samoa" could be translated as "sacred center of the Universe".
46. The first inhabitants of Samoa arrived from the Lau Islands (east of Fiji).
47. Not only men get tattooed in Samoa. Women get a specific tattoo called "malu". This extends from the lower part of the knee to the upper part of the thighs, stopping under the buttocks. The term "malu" is tattooed on the back and, they say, refers to notions of defense and protection.
48. The national sport of Samoa is rugby.
49. Adult literacy in Samoa is 99%.
50. The only native mammals of Samoa, which were not introduced by humans, are flying foxes and other types of bat.
Other curiosities of Oceania | By countries
Do you fancy, after discovering the most amazing thing about Samoa, keep reading about some other curiosities of Oceania ? Do not miss the following posts dedicated to the least known of some countries of the continent of the "thousand islands":
- Curiosities of New Zealand
What do you think of these curiosities of Samoa ? Did you know this little country in Polynesia, from which the dance of the Fire Staff is original? Currently it has become one of the most attractive tourist destinations to visit by travelers from around the world, so if you have the chance to spend a few days on its shores and visit its cities and towns it will be an opportunity you should not miss.
Images: Tataujes malu - RunningToddler