The Tonga Islands in the Pacific will be the first place to welcome the New Year 2023, with the countdown beginning at 10 AM GMT.
The Pacific region is the first area in the world to celebrate the New Year. The New Year’s moment for 2022-2023 will first be experienced at three locations: Tonga, Christmas Island of the Republic of Kiribati, and Samoa.
The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago located in the South Pacific, consisting of 173 islands, 36 of which are inhabited. It is bordered to the southwest by New Zealand (1,750 miles away) and to the west by Fiji (630 miles away). This is where you can become the first person to greet the sun’s rays in the world.
Tonga is the first place in the world to welcome the New Year at 10 AM GMT on December 31, equivalent to 5 PM on December 31 in Vietnam. The locals typically celebrate the New Year with a lavish feast, followed by a stroll at midnight.
The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago located in the South Pacific.
A Land with Unique Beauty Standards
In most countries around the world, beautiful women are expected to have “fair skin and slim figures,” meaning flawless fair skin and a slender body with model-like proportions…
However, in Tonga, the beauty standard is quite the opposite, where attractive women are characterized by their brown, shiny skin, and fuller figures with larger arms and waists…
Tonga is also known as the home of the heaviest king in the world. King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV holds the Guinness World Record as the heaviest king, weighing 208.7 kg. However, he later managed to reduce his weight by about 40%, becoming a health role model for the entire nation.
The traditional diet of Tongans primarily consists of vegetables, bananas, coconuts, and fresh seafood from the ocean.
People in Tonga. (Photo: Pinterest).
In this kingdom, the average weight of a man is about 72 kg while that of a woman is over 70 kg. Tongan men tend to prefer wives with fuller figures, as they believe it signifies being “capable of running a household.”
However, being a tourist island nation that attracts many visitors from around the world, the beauty standards for women in Tonga are gradually changing. Indigenous women are no longer as full-figured as before.
Women as the Pillars of Family, Men Embrace Domestic Roles
This kingdom also hosts many beauty contests where petite women often do not have an advantage. In contrast, women with brown skin and fuller figures are considered the most beautiful. Confidence and grace are also seen as important qualities, along with skillful dancing.
In Tonga, the influence of a matriarchal system still holds a certain sway, as women are often in higher positions of authority than men.
In a household, even if there is a male firstborn and a female second child, the sister still has higher privileges than her brother when it comes to making family decisions. However, this social norm has been in place for long enough that neither men nor women in Tonga feel dissatisfied. The residents of Tonga are generally happy with their roles.
Even though their status may not be as valued as that of women, Tongan men are still regarded as strong and dynamic warriors. Indeed, strong Tongan men are often listed among the most attractive men in the world due to their tall, muscular physiques.
Men in Tonga are skilled in domestic tasks. (Photo: Britannica).
Working on Sundays Can Result in Imprisonment
Tonga lies in the tropics, blessed with abundant sunlight, warm climate, fertile land, and vast marine areas with rich potential. Tonga has built its economy on agriculture for a long time, with strong harvests of coconuts and bananas. Due to the rich resources and products exceeding demand, the people of Tonga never worry about food shortages.
There is a special regulation in Tonga: people are not allowed to work on Sundays, except for the police and hospitals. Sunday is considered an important day here. Most activities in Tonga cease, and people spend the entire weekend gathering with family, attending church, resting, and enjoying meals together.
If someone is caught working on a Sunday, they may face fines or imprisonment. This is explicitly stated in the Constitution. Tourists visiting Tonga should be aware that they need to stock up on prepared food for Sunday to avoid hunger, as all restaurants and eateries are closed.
Today, Tonga has become a famous global tourist destination. The capital, Nuku’alofa, located on the northern coast of Tongatapu, is the last city in the world to say goodbye to the sunset before drifting into sleep.
