Biology:Rotuma Day
| Rotuma Day | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Rotuma Day |
| Observed by | Rotumans |
| Celebrations | welcoming ceremony and feast called 'mamasa' |
| Date | May 13 |
| Next time | May 13, 2025 |
| Frequency | annual |
Rotuma Day is an annual celebration on the island of Rotuma, a Fijian dependency. It falls on May 13, the anniversary of the island's cession to the United Kingdom in 1881.[1]
As there are more people of Rotuman descent outside Rotuma than on the island, celebrations are held in other centres besides Rotuma, with big events in Suva and Lautoka.[2][3]
Celebrations
The 2005 events marked the 124th anniversary of the annexation of the island to the United Kingdom.
Speaking at the Suva celebration, Fiji's High Commissioner to Australia , Major Jioje Konrote, himself a Rotuman Islander, commended Rotumans living outside Rotuma for maintaining their links to their homelands. There are some two thousand people on Rotuma, with a further ten thousand Rotumans in metropolitan Fiji.
Joji Kotobalavu, Chief Executive of the Prime Minister's office, told Rotumans that their island would always be a special part of Fiji, recognized alongside the fourteen provinces. He commended them for their disproportionate achievements and contributions towards the development of Fiji as a country, while Labour Minister Kenneth Zinck paid tribute to the many Rotumans to have distinguished themselves in the fields of education, medicine, business, and society.
References
- ↑ Rabulu, Solomone (2016-05-17). "Rotuman community celebrates". Cook Islands News Limited. http://www.cookislandsnews.com/national/local/item/58425-rotuman-community-celebrates/58425-rotuman-community-celebrates.
- ↑ "Where has Rotuman culture gone?". http://www.hawaii.edu/oceanic/rotuma/os/howsel/33where.htm. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
- ↑ Center, Media (2013-05-07). "Fiji Government Online Portal - GOVERNMENT TEAM TO BE PART OF ROTUMA DAY CELEBRATIONS". Department of Information. http://www.fiji.gov.fj/Media-Center/Press-Releases/GOVERNMENT-TEAM-TO-BE-PART-OF-ROTUMA-DAY-CELEBRATI.aspx.
External links
- "Rotumans celebrate big day", Fiji Times, May 11, 2008
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