If you have ever considered visiting Easter Island, which is located off of the coast of Chile, early February might be a great time to get away from the northern hemisphere’s wintry chill (remember, it’s summertime down there!) and enjoy the authentic Polynesian festival of Tapati Rapa Nui, which takes place from February 1 through 15 this year. Unlike many festivals on Easter Island, this one is not a tourist attraction, but is, instead, meant for the locals. This doesn’t mean that visitors aren’t welcomed, because they are; it simply means that what you’ll see is authentic Polynesian activities, so you’ll feel fully immersed in the culture. If you’re planning to go, here is some of what you might expect:
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Parades To mark the beginning and the end of the festival, there will be elaborate Polynesian-style parades. You’ll see floats, dancers wearing elaborate costumes, dancers wearing very little, and lots of festive music. One of the events during the Tapati Rapa Nui festival is when young women compete for the honor of being Queen of Tapati. The last parade is a tribute to the newly crowned queen.
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Haka Pei Tobogganing This is the most dangerous and thrilling events of the festival. When it’s time for the Haka Pei, men will stand at the top of a volcano, about 1,000 feet in the air, wearing nothing but a small loincloth. Then they will take turns balancing precariously on banana-tree “toboggans” while they plummet toward the bottom of the mountain. The crowd will go wild, and you won’t want to miss it.
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Competitive Events You’ll see teams of Easter Island natives competing in all sorts of events, from surfing, to spear-throwing, to the Rapa Nui Triathlon. This event includes swimming, paddling across a lake and a running event that includes bunches of bananas. There is also the Hanga Roa, where teams compete in order to have their candidate win the aforementioned title of Queen of Tapati.
While most of the events are for the islanders only, you can take part in the parade if you know someone on one of the teams. If you are on Easter Island for a while, you can even take part in some of the dancing. The stipulation here is that you take lessons for a month ahead of time, and it’s already too late for that, so it might be something worth planning for next year. If you go to Easter Island during Tapati Rapa Nui, it is a festival that you will never forget! Easter Island is not easy to get to, however a few Trafalgar tours in South America do offer Easter Island as an extension to their wonderful South America trips. Call us for details.
