Suva Entertainment and Activitiesįiji’s rich and varied culture is on full display in Suva’s museums and government buildings. Fijian soldiers in white sarongs and red tunics guard the entrance. The city’s cream-colored Government House is the official residence of the president.
Parliament was moved to a more modern site that reflects Fijian values and traditions in 1992.
The water was drained and the bed secured to accommodate the structure in the 1930s. The old parliament buildings sit on the site of a former creek. The Suva City Library, also called the Carnegie Library, is a notable colonial structure from 1909. Within the gardens, alongside the island’s beloved distinctive clock tower, the Fiji Museum hosts the world’s largest collection of Fijian artifacts, including relics dating back up to 3,700 years and the rudder from the HMS Bounty, the British merchant ship whose fate was sealed by a famous mutiny. The Thurston Gardens are the pride of the islands, lined with palms, water lilies, ginger trees and other local flora. The Hindu ritual was imported here from South India and is a thrilling highlight of local religious festivals. Perhaps Fiji’s most mesmerizing cultural phenomenon is vilavilairevo, or fire walking, practiced at the Mariamma Temple and other locations in the city. The drink has a central place during Fiji Week each October, a festival of religion and culture that celebrates the anniversary of the nation’s independence from Britain. The potent beverage is fermented from the peppery kava plant. The traditional kava ceremony, or yaqona, remains popular in Suva, though it has evolved from its typical role as a courtship ritual into a warm greeting for visitors. In the bustling downtown and along Cumming Street, an eclectic array of colonial-era buildings, modern shops, inviting eateries and an open park are entwined with narrow lanes that lead to curry houses and sari shops. The Fiji Institute of Technology and the University of the South Pacific attract a large student population, giving Suva a youthful and energetic quality. Fijians, Indo-Fijians, and transplants from Australia, New Zealand and Asia mingle in the busy streets, donning everything from a business suit to a traditional sulu, or sarong. The residents of Suva bring a rich diversity to their city that influences cuisine, dress, architecture, arts and music. Fiji declared its independence from the Crown in 1970, keeping Suva as its capital. Britain annexed the Fiji Islands in 1874 and moved the capital here, as the steep terrain of the previous capital of Levuka would prevent expansion. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to set foot on these shores, but Westerners did not return until the 19th century. Remains of canoes carved from local trees, as well as the discovery of Fijian pots on other islands, reveal that islanders traded with one another. Most of its residents live in coastal cities and towns, as the inland terrain is too mountainous.įiji may have been settled as long as 5,000 years ago by Polynesians.
The nation’s relaxed capital of Suva, set on a hilly peninsula on the picturesque island of Viti Levu, is the largest city in the South Pacific and a thriving center of culture and history. Alluring sand beaches, magnificent emerald-clad hills and stunning coral reefs comprise the 330 islands of the Fijian archipelago.
0 kommentar(er)
