Pule invited us to attend Leone’s Catholic church for today’s special Feast Day mass. It was the church’s birthday, so they planned a special ceremony. Ethan and I were slightly nervous about attending; since the church only holds mass in Samoan, it was unlikely that there would be any other palagi. We dressed in our church outfits only to have a minor crisis... Did we have to wear all white? Most of the island’s churches were special, all white, Sunday outfits. I knew that the Catholic church didn’t require it, but was a feast day different!? Yikes. We tried to call Nape for the answer, but she didn’t pick up. Oh, no! We made a plan, if we saw everyone was dressed in white, we would turn around and go home. If there were others in colorful outfits, we would go. Luckily, we pulled up and noticed a decent amount of people in color. The majority were in white but enough were dressed in other colors.
Ethan donned his i’e fitagas (formal man-skirt) for the occasion. Many young Samoan guys were shorts under them, but Ethan prefers the boxers only method. But Samoa is windy......and who knows when a strong gust could lead to embarrassment. Ethan threw some basketball shorts into the car, and that was a smart idea. He immediately put them on once he realized how strong the winds were :)
Rosa met us there, and I immediately felt like we were a spectacle. It’s odd to always be the minority, combat the stares from all directions, and hear whispers of “palagi, palagi!” We tried to sneak a seat in the back, but, of course, we messed up and sat in the seats that were reserved for the choir. An usher saw us and escorted us all the way to the front section reserved for special guests. I was nervous but was excited to see the Samoan cultural aspects of mass. As we waited, the congregation participated in a chanting of prayers. On person would chant a line, and the crowd would repeat. Another person would chant a line, and the crowd would repeat again. All of a sudden the chanting stopped and everyone stood and turned to go outside. Realizing that we probably had no idea about what was going on, a kind man came over and explained that the mass would be starting outside. Across the street from the church is a large statue of Jesus. Everyone gathered around the statue, and the choir sang a song. The ushers, dressed only in siapo i’es (traditionally patterned skirts) with bare and oiled chests and backs, led the procession back into the church.
Before the usual mass started, there was an hour of cultural practices. First, the alter boys all paraded down the aisle. They, too, were dressed in just the siapo i’es. Then, the church president moved to the front, sat, and was covered by a fine mat (a large hand-woven mat that serves as traditional currency and is used during many of the traditional events). This is the practice of forgiveness. A leader kneels under a fine mat until the “forgiver” makes peace. This traditional practice is usually used when one family wrongs another. The village high chief of the “out-of-line family,” kneels under a fine mat before the wronged family’s house. The chief must stay there until the family comes out and decides to make peace and forgive. During the mass, this ceremony was symbolic of the church president asking the priest forgiveness for the congregation’s sins. From there, 2 of the high talking chiefs with their staffs stood on either side of the church and did a sort of reenactment ceremony. We still haven’t figured out what was said. The taupo (village “princess” - the daughter of the highest chief), dressed in the large head piece and siapo dress, performed a traditional siva dance. After her dance, the normal proceedings of a mass occurred (though we obviously didn’t understand what was being said). Before communion, a large group of the congregation paraded with offerings - flower leis, fine mats, and new robes for the church officials- and laid them at the foot of the alter.
Us in our church outfits:
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