The first country in the world to ring in the New Year, each and every year, is Tonga in the South Pacific. That’s because it is very close to the 180th parallel (12 hours ahead of Greenwich). It is located directly on the international date line.

Tongans value their relationship with God and with others. The entire first week of the New Year is called Uike Lotu (prayer week). Every day, the church congregations meet and pray in the morning and in the evening, and in between they celebrate together. Bands from all over the island take their instruments, sometimes homemade banjos, basses and guitars, and go from house to house hoping for some supplies in exchange for their music.

The people of Tonga take the New Year very seriously. When we lived in Tonga, at 12:01, the first minute of the New Year, people would start walking, trying to be the first to greet their relatives. You could see people walking all the roads and paths looking for their relatives. When they met, which may be halfway between their homes, they hugged and kissed. They would then sit down and have some cookies and Milo before heading off to find other relatives. It was a time of meeting, prayer and celebration. Older people would talk and reminisce about the old days and express their gratitude for being able to make it through the New Year.

Youths built fana pitu (bamboo cannons) and could be heard all over the islands rumbling as their kerosene contents were ignited. The boys will strive to outdo each other in this canyoning marathon. It seems that there is a war in the villages with all the cannons firing.

After greeting all the relatives and a long nap, almost everyone heads to the beach. January 1 is the hottest time of the year in Tonga, unlike the snowy white Christmases that others are used to. The whole family will go to the beach and take a bath. Food for the New Year is usually baked in an umu (underground oven) and may include lu pulu (beef, onion and coconut milk wrapped in taro leaves), root vegetables such as taro, kumala (sweet potato), cassava (tapioca ) and shellfish. The men fix the umu, and everyone enjoys it.

Not only the villagers celebrate the arrival of the New Year. On January 1, 2009, members of the royal family, as well as cabinet ministers and distinguished guests received an audience with His Majesty King George Tupou V shortly after midnight. Even the monarch tries to strengthen his relations during the new year celebration.

Truly, the people of Tonga are proud that time has begun in their country. Their monarch, Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, fought for them to have this distinction so that they would be the first in the world to offer their prayers in the New Year. They even have a hotel called the International Dateline Hotel.