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Social Profile
Food & Drink: International cuisine is available, but the local cooking is Fijian and Indian. Local dishes include kakoda (a marinated local fish steamed in coconut cream and lime), rourou (a taro leaf dish), kassaua (tapioca, often boiled, baked or grated and cooked in coconut cream with sugar and mashed bananas), and duruka (an unusual asparagus-like vegetable in season during April and May). Breadfruit is also common. Indian curries are served in all major hotels. A number of hotels and restaurants also serve the Fijian lovo feast of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit cooked in covered pits. Table service is normal, although some establishments offer buffet-style food at lunchtime. Hotels often serve meals to non-residents. A wide range of drinks are available. Local beers are Carlton, brewed in Suva, and Fiji Bitter, brewed in Lautoka. Local wines include Meridan Moselle and Suvanna Moselle. South Pacific Distilleries produce Bounty Fiji Golden Rum, Old Club Whisky, Booth’s Gin and Cossack Vodka. Throughout Fiji the drinking of yaqona (pronounced yanggona) or kava is common. In the past, the drink was prepared by virgins, who chewed the root into a soft pulpy mass before adding water. It is made from the root of the pepper plant and the yaqona drinking ceremony is still important in the Fijian tradition, although it has also become a social drink. Bars and cocktail lounges have table and/or counter service. Only licensed restaurants, clubs and hotel bars can serve alcohol.
Nightlife: Major hotels and resorts have live bands and dancing during the evening. There are also nightclubs with entertainment, especially in Suva. Cinemas show English-language and Indian films. Most social activity, however, is in private clubs and visitors can obtain temporary membership through hotels. Hotels offer Fijian entertainment (meke) on a rotation basis.
Shopping: Favourite buys are filigree jewellery, woodcarvings (such as kava bowls) and polished coconut shells, sea shells, woven work (such as mats, coasters, hats, fans and trays), tapa cloth and pearls. Bargaining is not a rule in shops. Some shopkeepers will give a discount with large purchases. Duty-free items are available and include cameras, televisions, watches, binoculars, clocks, lighters, hi-fi equipment, pewter, crystal and porcelain. Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1700, Sat 0800-1300 (some shops have half-day closing on Wednesday and are open later on Friday).
Special Events: For further details, contact the Fiji Visitors Bureau (see Contact Addresses section). The following is a selection of the major festivals and other special events celebrated during 2003 in Fiji:
Jan New Year Celebrations. Feb Hindu Holi (Festival Of Colours); Super League Two-day World Sevens Championship, Suva. Mar/Apr Ram Naumi (Birth Of Lord Rama), Suva Bay. Jun Taveuni Arts Festival (three-day festival of Arts, handicrafts, game-fishing, and boat races). Jul Bula Festival, Prince Charles Park, Nadi. Aug Hibiscus Festival, Albert Park, Suva; Indian Firewalking Ceremony, Suva. Sep Sugar Festival, Lautoka; Heaven to Heaven Fiji International Triathlon. Oct Diwali Festival; Indian Firewalking, Mahi Devi Temple, Suva.
Social Conventions: Fijians are a very welcoming, hospitable people and visitors should not be afraid to accept hospitality. The ethnic variety of Fiji society can be seen mainly in the towns. There are powerfully built Fijians dressed in wrap-around sulus, numerous Indians, men in Western clothes, women wearing colourful saris and a scattering of European, Chinese and other Pacific Islanders. One celebrated tradition is the practice of fire-walking which has its origin in legend, although the Indian variant is performed for religious reasons. Tourists can pay to see these ceremonies but the ritual remains a religious penance and not merely a tourist attraction. Informal casual wear is generally acceptable, as are swimsuits, as long as they are worn on beaches and not in towns. Smoking is only restricted where specified. Tips about visiting villages: The Fiji Visitors Bureau has the following advice for travellers visiting Fijian villages: visitors should be aware that they cannot just stroll into a village, which would be an intrusion of privacy. It is customary to purchase a bundle of unpounded yaqona (kava) – the traditional sevusevu (gift) – before visiting. When approaching the village, visitors should not enter immediately but wait nearby until someone comes to greet them and ask the purpose of their visit. They will then be taken to the Chief or Turaga Ni Koro (Headman), to whom the kava should be offered. Visitors who are accepted by the Chief will be assigned a guide and host. Once inside the village, please also note the following: visitors should dress modestly and not wear shorts or hats and women should not have their shoulders bare; shoes should always be taken off when entering someone’s house or any other village building; visitors should speak softly and not raise their voices too much as this may be interpreted as expressing anger; visitors should show respect but be cautious about praise as Fijians will feel obliged to make a gift of an object if visitors show too much liking for it; Fijians will always, out of custom, ask visitors to stay or eat with them, but if one has already been invited, new invitations should be politely declined and possibly arranged for a later date; visitors who spend a night in the village should reward their host with a useful gift of similar value for each member of the party; it is not recommended to give money. Tipping: Small tips only for special services.
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