Fijian Culture | Best Western Hotels Fiji

With a rich indigenous Fijian and Indian influence, Fiji is a cultural feast for all the senses. Coupled with such a welcoming outlook, visitors to Fiji find it easy to immerse themselves in village life and ceremonial performances.

In Fiji, everyone speaks English as well as Fijian or Hindi. Any word with a 'd' has an unwritten 'n' in front of it - Nadi is pronounced 'Nandi' and the delightful cold, marinated seafood dish kokoda, is 'kokonda'. You put an 'm' before the 'b' in words like Toberua (Tomberua). Sigatoka is 'Singatoka', Naigani is Ninegani'. And a 'c' is pronounced 'th', as in the Mamanuca Islands.

Village Visit

For visitors looking for an authentic cultural Fijian visit, venture out of the tourist areas and into the welcoming villages. Here you’ll discover sustainable living and a unique culture and history.

Once invited into a Fijian village, wear modest clothing and remember to take off your hat. Leave your shoes outside the door when entering a home and refrain from touching anyone's head – an insult in Fijian culture. Respect for Fijian customs and traditions will get you far.

The ritual of drinking kava may leave you with a numb tongue, but it’s part of the experience – just go with it!

Cultural Ceremonies

Fijians celebrate their culture with a range of ceremonies in which you can participate.

The Lovo is a magnificent feast, cooked in the earth. Traditionally, this feast includes vegetables and meat covered with banana leaves or coconut stalks.

The Meke embraces traditional song and dance to tell of legends, love stories, history and spirits of the islands. It can vary from a blood-curdling spear dance to a gentle and graceful fan dance.

Yagona (Kava) is Fiji's national drink, believed to have medicinal qualities.

Race and Religion

A multi-racial, multi-cultural nation, the population of Fiji is made up of significant numbers of followers of all major religions. Visitors will find Christian churches, mosques, and Sikh and Hindu temples throughout the country.

With its large Indo-Fijian population, Nadi is a centre for Hinduism and Islam in Fiji. The downtown area is defined by the Nadi River and Viseisei village on the west side, and the beautiful Sri Siva Subramaniya temple on the east.

It is the largest Hindu temple in the southern hemisphere.