Events - Part 80

 Tapati Festival, Rapa Nui

Rapa Nui (Easter Island) is famous for the giant statues carved by its inhabitants in ancient times (above).

In 2024 we looked at a modern day event in Rapa Nui called Tapati.  It's one of the largest cultural festivals in all of Polynesia.  Today we're taking another look at the Tapati festival.

Every February, the people of Rapa Nui divide into two camps or clans. The men strip naked and are covered with colored mud (above).

Or else symbols are painted on their bodies.  They wear a g-string for the festival (above).

Judges evaluate the men, scoring them from 0 to 10 depending on how decorated their bodies are.  The points are added into a total for the clan.  Above, a group of participants.

There are numerous singing and dancing competitions, but there are also athletic competitions, which score points for the clan.  Above, a competitor in the Haka Pei event.

In Haka Pei, each competitor slides down a hill on a banana trunk, reaching speeds of up to 80 kph (50 mph).

Another Haka Pei competitor.

Two Haka Pei competitors hug each other.

There are other competitions, including a race carrying bananas ...

body surfing ...

and spear throwing.

After it's all over, a girl from the clan with the most points is crowned as Queen of the Tapati for the year.

We end with one of the celebrants washing off the mud and paint in the ocean.  And that's it for Tapati until the next year.

You can see my previous post on the Tapati festival here: Tapati Festival