French Polynesia celebrates Christmas on the night of December 24-25th along with the entire Catholic world, and this date falls on the hottest and rainy season. A large Christmas market is opened in the capital, where you can buy presents and festive food. Many stores sell artificial Christmas trees. The residents of the island can be seen happily decorating their homes. Families gather at richly laid tables, in which you can see traditional European dishes like turkey, and food cooked in an underground furnace. At midnight, Catholics attend services in churches, and children wait for gifts from Santa Claus, who travel by canoe and enter houses through the windows that have been left open.
On New Year’s Eve, on the islands like in many other countries, fireworks are launched, as if tropical flowers were blooming in the sky. Earthly flowers adorn the hair and clothes of singers and dancers. In February, the Chinese New Year is celebrated. This is not a public holiday, but it is celebrated with great pleasure not only by the Polynesian Chinese, but also by all the other inhabitants of French Polynesia. In the cities there are great parades, live music, songs and dance performances. There is also the serving of traditional Chinese dishes.
Missionary Day in French Polynesia is celebrated on the 5th of March. This date marks the arrival of English Protestants on the islands in the year 1797. This is a public holiday, so most of the Polynesians get a day off. Services are held in Protestant churches, concerts are held in public places, and wreaths are laid at the tomb of the first Christian king, Pomare II. According to legends, the Polynesian pagan priests predicted the arrival of a new religion, so most of the local people voluntarily adopted Christianity, although this was accompanied by separate uprisings.
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