Whilst parents are still trailing behind, these kids want to get home fast, prepare island spinach, grate coconut for mum to later do lunch, and play football while waiting.
Life is never boring in the islands. There is always something to keep the little ones including mums and dads occupied, and everyday its the gardens where villagers head to in the break of dawn to clean and harvest vegetables, legumes, fruits, nuts, and check their chicken & pig traps to see if they're lucky. Just an everyday thing the locals do in the villages.
And now that Christmas is just around the corner, the fun and festive vibes are more visible as people start to decorate their place with coconut leaves, ornaments are usually bundles of green coconuts, bananas and pineapples hanging down from the kitchen beam, suger canes, gingers and lillies are tied to kitchen posts.
This is how locals of Mele village, decorate their Christmas shelter ready for the big day and in every other communities, urban settlers mostly choose to return to their village where the core of all festivities come from huge family feasts, string band, ongoing singing, laughter, and a sweet scent from fresh mangoes, water melons, pineapples, paw paw, and plenty more fruits in season, fill the air.
The Vanuatu version for baked ham or roast turkey and pudding, is the succulent Vanuatu beef, drizzled with coconut milk, cooked with sweet potatoes, green onions, fresh tomatoes, taro, and island spinach, baked overnight in an earth oven. On the side is the most delicious seafood you'll ever taste from all the fish, crabs and coquillages caught from the boys the night before.
It's truly a unique and memorable Christmas experience that you can enjoy with the the locals. Visit our Christmas in Vanuatu page.
