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Heiva

July 01, 2006
by Wendy
cultural village, dance competition, Heiva, sporting events, traditional
0 Comment
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Javelin throwing.
Javelin throwing.
What saved us, and what made Papeete an interesting destination even on the weekend, was the Heiva.  This cultural celebration happens every July and was a blast.  On Saturday, we watched javelin throwing (dozens of guys in traditional dress throw javelins from far away trying to hit a coconut perched on a pole 30 feet high).  We also watched stone lifting, with guys competing to see who can lift a 130kg stone (about 300 pounds) fastest on top of their shoulder.  Impressive!

 

Traditional tatoo on the back of one of the weight lifters.
Traditional tatoo on the back of one of the weight lifters.
All the daytime sporting events are free and from what we saw, filled with local spectators as well.  This definitely isn’t just for the tourists.

In addition, there is a ‘cultural village’ (aka souvenir market) where people from various islands all around French Polynesia sell their crafts, and display how they are made.  This was open all day Sunday, and it’s the only thing open – so we spent all day there.  We actually had a great time.

In the evening, there are more organized shows at a stadium.  We wanted to see two, but the finale was sold out. We had tried to book tickets online, but they haven’t really caught on to the whole online thing yet – there was NO information online, ticket sales must be done in person, etc.  This is definitely aimed at locals, not foreigners.

  The one show we did see was amazing.  We went for the historic dances competition.  Which turned out to be two hour and a half long performances with approx. 75 dancers on stage, dancing to live music.  The story they were telling was explained in English, French and Tahitian.    Great dancing, lots of costume changes, props, etc. Very professional show and very much not what we were expecting.  In between the dances there was some traditional singing too!  Highly recommended!

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