When Nayau is too far away

from w
Because Fiji families are scattered over different parts of the world these days, there is extra grief when a member of the family dies in Fiji. Our friend Selai who lives in Geelong lost her Dad over a week ago. He was 78, lived on Nayau Island in Lau and was riding his horse to another village to prepare for the Sunday worship, and he fell. After a few days he passed away but many of his children were just too far away to attend the funeral. So here in Geelong a few friends visited Selai as soon as we heard the news, and then last night, Selai cooked a special dinner for a few friends as part of the ritual of remembering. We had kava, prayer and a meal together. In Fiji there are special gatherings after 4 days, 10 days, 40 days, but now some customs are adapted somewhat. Here are a few photos of some of the guests last night and one of the tables of the food prepared by Selai.