Tongans LOVE parades!
It was LOUD. It was JOYFUL. It was RED. It was ONE BIG CRAZY CELEBRATION.
Tonga’s King Tupou VI announced a special national public holiday last Friday. Tonga’s win of the 2019 Rugby League International was celebrated in a massive parade through Nuku’alofa to welcome home ‘Our Boys’. Tonga’s national Rugby League Captain, Jason Taumalolo, led the home-coming parade, sitting on top of one of the sponsored utes, wearing a multi-coloured floral lei draped around his neck. It looked like a sea of red as thousands lined the streets to get a glimpse, a high-five or even a selfie with the crowned champions.
The crowds cheered. The Tongans only have one volume setting: LOUD. Full blast.
Everybody was wearing RED, the national colour. The parade brought people together for this special celebration. It also further strengthened the bonds of an already very close-knit community. A community who is proud of its culture, its values and its growing sporting achievements. I was excited to be part of this noisy, fun-filled crowd – and I had made sure I got the matching T-shirt, too. Which got me a few smiles and nods of approval.
Today, the streets looked all tidy and quiet again. But don’t be fooled: The people of Tonga will find a reason, any reason, to have another parade very soon.
Great pictures!
Wahoo! So neat for Tonga and so great you got to be part of that celebration. How fun. Love your tshirt Dad! Hehe
Looks like such great fun! And guess what; our local Ampthill rugby club has just recently signed up a Tongan player for our squad! He comes via Auckland and has been capped for Tonga, so our little club is definitely on the way up!
How cool, Judy! A winning team in the making!
Thanks for sharing!