assumption day

assumption day, or the day the virgin of charity; is a very important religious ceremony celebrated in wallis. it is a day of worship and an opportunity to donate money to the community to help the ones that need it the most. everyone from the three main districts of the island gathered at the main village to celebrate. the king and all the ministers presided the celebration and were seated at the center of the stage. we were lucky to be in the island and have been invited to such a picturesque celebration. the entire day of festivities included:



a parade with all men, women and children covered in flowers and carpets bringing foods, tapas, and offerings to share with the community. music and dances with the local dresses where the dancers asked for money for their communities and while they danced for hours, the spectators gave them money which was either deposited in a basket in the middle of the yard where they were dancing or somehow placed in the dancer’s bodies, in their heads or inside their clothes.



there was also a big feast and everyone that attended was invited to eat lamp, pork, shrimp, salads, chicken and just about every type of food imaginable. There was a display of flags made form different pareos form the island. most impressive of all, there was a ceremonial blessing of the offerings which were huge wild pork cooked by the different families and placed on the grass in the center of the ceremonies. after they were each blessed one by one by a committee they were carried back to the different houses to be eaten by the families. these animals, once cooked weight hundreds of kilos. they are emptied inside and then filled with hot stones to cook their meat. the stones are left inside and to lift every animal becomes a job of up to ten very big men… they must have done this 100 times as there were over tha many cooked wild pork on the yard… a truly shocking image! quite unique.



at the end of the ceremony we went on a dinghi trip around the island and back to the boat to rest after so much food we eat. we talked about the dresses and music and dances, and mostly the animals for days after the festivities. we were very impressed with the generosity of the people in wallis and their beautiful celebration.

wallis island

wallis is one of the islands of the french territory called wallis and futuna. the territory includes three main islands: wallis (the most populous), the island of futuna, and the island of alofi which is uninhabited reportedly because all of its people were eaten by the cannibals from the other two islands...

wallis is a big island inside a lagoon with several smaller islands in the outer reefs. the pass into the lagoon was complicated. we approached the entrance in the morning with over 25 knots of wind. we tried to enter but felt the strong current pushing us out, the rip tides and the big waves breaking in either side of the reef. we were afraid to be dragged by the strong current and finish on top of the scary rocks, so we decided to sail back out to the ocean and wait a few hours until low tide and the slack before trying to go in again. this second attempt was easier and we were able to go negotiate the pass with no problems at all.




once in, we discovered a paradise which is hardly visited by anyone. as opposed to the french polynesia this is not a common sailing or otherwise tourist destination; there were only three sailboats anchored of the village, us included of course. maybe this is why the locals are extra kind to the occasional visitor that stops by. here there are no buses but there is hardly any trouble getting around hitchhiking. all doors to every house are open, cars are left with open windows and keys inside. everyone pretty much knew everyone else, I have a strong feeling that they were even related. after the second day esteban started to recognize the people! a quiet place, not crowded at all with great views and beaches and islands to explore…. not a bad spot at all ah?!

crossing to wallis

in the morning of august 6 we left pago pago harbor towards wallis island. the crossing was 360 nautical miles due west, a 72 hour sail. we had strong wind blowing steady from the east and the seas were rough. the boat rocked from side to side like never before and I for the first time got my seasickness experience. It was not pleasant. and the worse of it is that it leaves the sick person useless and the other all alone to sail the boat. Fortunately the sail was a short one, for pacific crossing standards at least, and we arrived in wallis safely and very fast. we had no fish in this crossing; two misses though, one of which took the lure and line with him.