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Social Profile
Food & Drink: At Samoan feasts, the traditional fare includes fresh seafood, roast suckling pig, chicken, breadfruit and fruit. Among the local specialities are dishes cooked in the traditional Samoan oven, umu. A variety of Chinese food is also available in a few places and there are several snack and light meal restaurants in Apia serving fast food and other Western food.
Kava is the national drink (see also the American Samoa and Fiji sections). Alcohol may not be purchased on Sundays except by hotel residents and their guests.
Nightlife: Several nightclubs offer dancing and other entertainment. Several cinemas show English-language films and Chinese films with subtitles.
Shopping: Local items include siapo (tapa) cloth, made from mulberry bark and painted with native dyes; mats and baskets; kava drinking bowls, made of hardwood and polished to a high gloss; shell jewellery; and Samoan stamps, available from the Philatelic Bureau. Shopping hours: Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1330-1630, Sat 0800-1230. Some shops remain open during the lunch hour.
Special Events: For a complete list of events and festivals during 2003, contact the Samoa Visitors Bureau. The following festivals are celebrated annually in Samoa:
Jan 4 Head of State’s Birthday Celebrations. Jun 1-2 Independence Day Celebrations. Aug International Game Fishing Tournament. Sep Teuila Festival. Oct Lotu-a-Tamaiti (White Sunday). Dec/Jan Christmas and New Year.
Social Conventions: Even more than their American Samoan neighbours, Samoans adhere to traditional moral and religious codes of behaviour. According to the Government, the Samoan is the purest surviving Polynesian type, with a reputation for being upright and dignified in character. Life in each village is still regulated by a council of chiefs with considerable financial and territorial power; this ‘extended family’ social system is intricately and unusually linked with the overall political system. Visitors should avoid walking through villages during evening prayer (usually between 1800 and 1900). Sunday is a day of peace and quiet, and visitors should behave quietly and travel slowly through villages. It is recommended for women to wear a lavalava (sarong) rather than shorts and pants; nude or topless bathing is prohibited. When entering a fale, shoes should be removed, visitors should never stand when elders are seated, and when sitting down, the soles of your feet should not be shown (the yogic cross-legged style is a good option). Permission should always be asked before taking photographs in a village. Visitors should not offer money to children, even when they ask. For access and fees to certain areas and villages, see the Sport & Activities section. Tipping: Not customary.
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