The King and Queen have been officially welcomed to Samoa with a royal ceremony which saw them wear ceremonial garlands and drink a special tea from a coconut shell.
Hosted by the Samoan Head of State and his village, the ava ceremony is a special event reserved only for monarchs.
It was originally planned to be held in the open but due to the torrential downpours earlier in the morning it was moved inside.
Charles, 75, and Camilla, 77, were received by The Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa, Le Afioga ia Tuimaleali’ifano Va’aleto’a Sualauvi II and Ceremonial Attendants from Falelatai Village upon their arrival at the National University of Samoa on Thursday.
The King was wearing a bush jacket with trim by Samoan school of fine art.
The Queen, in a tunic and Palazzo trousers by Anna Valentine accessorised with gold fish earrings, kept herself cool in the heat by using a handheld fan with her cypher on.
Men, known locally as taulele’a, from Falelatai village commenced the ceremony by blowing conch shells to signal Their Majesties' arrival and formed a ceremonial guard of honour.
Two men in traditional dress acted as ceremonial attendants, and one opened the proceedings welcoming the King and Queen.
He said: “The royal and traditional ava ceremony, the highest protocol of respect in the Samoan culture in honour of Your Majesties’ state visit to Samoa.
“A symbol of friendship, safe passage and journey and the collective spirit of commonwealth as one family.
“Thank you and God bless.”
A short symbolic debate amongst the orators (”talking chiefs”, or tulafale) then began to decide who would lead the welcome oration.
Large ava roots were symbolically presented to the centre marquee
For centuries, ava - known in other Pacific countries as kava - has played a vital role in the rituals and celebrations of Pacific islanders. It is not just a beverage, but a symbol of community unity and connection.
The youngest daughter of the Chief, Maria Leinafo Tuimalealiifano, 30, then began to prepare the ava drink, which is made from dried and powdered ava root.
Maria prepared the drink in a shallow bowl known as a tanoa, which is made from the wood of the ifilele tree, and carefully pounded the root into a fine powder before being mixed with water.
Four attendants - known as ava makers or aumaga - assisted with the filtering of the ava drink through a sieve made of the dried bark of the Fau tree.
It is a great honour to be selected to serve as an aumaga.
Whilst the beverage is being prepared the ava orator (tufu’ava) explained the reason for the ceremony and announced when the ava is about to be distributed.
In response, all those present began to slowly clap.
The server will then called out the names of the guests to be served, in order of precedence.
As a sign of respect, the server will carry the cup to the guests and present it with a sweep of the arm from right to left, to show the inner side of the forearm to the guest.
The ava drink was presented to the King in a coconut shell, accepting it he tipped a small onto the ground, saying, “May God Bless this ava” and “la manuia”, which means “be prosperous”, before taking a sip.
The ava drink was similarly presented to the Head of State and Prime Minister of Samoa.
Two women then bowed before presenting Their Majesties with ceremonial garlands, known as lei.
The King’s was made of the dried fruit from the pandanus tree and The Queen’s was a beautiful floral garland.
Traditional gifts, known collectively as the sua faatamalii, were presented to the villagers on behalf of the King and Queen, in a sign that the ceremony had come to an end.
A butchered pig was also presented but that will be gifted back to the village.
Ava ceremonies take place on important occasions in Samoa, such as the bestowal of a chiefly title, the welcoming and bidding farewell of guests and visitors, or at significant gatherings and meetings.
Traditional embellishments to the ceremony are added for special guests of honour, with the one held today known as the “ava faatupu” – an ava ceremony for a King.
Upon departure, Their Majesties will also briefly meet selected village Chiefs and villagers involved in the ceremony.
The King and Queen then made their way to their seats on stage, accompanied by the Head of State of the Independent State of Samoa and his wife, Masiofo Faʻamausili Leinafo.Speaking after sipping the ava drink, the Prime Minister of Samoa said: “We praise god alrighty for his blessings and favour on your majesties King Charles III and queen Camilla and the commonwealth of nations.
“May the good Lord be with you and may you have a pleasant stay here in Samoa and a safe return trip to the United Kingdom. God bless.”
After the ava ceremony the King walked round to the National University of Samoa campus to launch The King’s Commonwealth Fellowships Programme, which will be administered by the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).
It will offer fellowships to mid-career professionals, undergraduate scholarships, and PhDs, to candidates based in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
It has been inspired by His Majesty’s life’s work to create opportunity and to tackle contemporary challenges including climate change and inequality.
His Majesty stopped and spoke to students and admired some of their artwork before taking to the stage.
Secretary-General of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, Professor Colin Riordan, gave a short speech announcing the fellowship scheme, describing the inspiring nature of the king’s work and saying it had come about over a number of years as a result of conversations between the King and Commonwealth leaders.
