In Fiji, familial bonds are as strong as the hard wood used in the building of traditional bures and the large double-hulled canoes, called Drua’s. Everywhere one looks there is a rich cultural history to explore that is effortlessly passed through the generations. With this in mind, many families with young children welcome the chance to visit the many islands of Fiji and learn and embrace many of the customs they’ll encounter. Fiji is a remarkable place where everyone is treated like a member of the family.
At Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort, Fiji, an all-inclusive resort offering an immersion in magical natural surroundings and authentic Fijian culture, the youngest guests will find an array of activities designed to help them feel part of the local community.
Top 6 That Your Children Will Love Learning About Fiji:
- It takes a village: Spend an afternoon immersed in authentic Fijian culture. Meet the Village Chief and elders while enjoying traditional cuisine and dance performances
- Join a club, the Bula Club that is: Even the youngest guests will be wowed with a visit to the Bula Club, the resort’s award-winning kids club, where they’ll spend their days exploring and learning about Fijian culture and the world around them through games and outdoor activities
- Don’t come empty handed: Did you know, most communities (villages) require visitors to participate in a gift-giving ceremony before they can enter? Known as a sevusevu, these welcoming gifts have long been a part of historic Fijian traditions
- Roleplaying: Traditionally, each Fijian villager is born into a certain role in the family unit or Tokatoka. Various heads of the family will administer and lead the family unit within the village community. Each chief of the village will in turn lead the people to fulfill their role to the Vanua (the village)
- Say ‘Bula’ to everyone you meet: The Fijian greeting is genuinely used so widely on the island by locals and tourists alike that it’s almost second nature. Fijians are also naturally friendly, so many will greet you with a loud ‘bula’ to ask how you are enjoying your time on the islands and what you plan to do
- Letters from Fiji: Younger guests of the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort are encouraged to join children of their own age at a local primary school and participate in class for a short time to make new friends and leave with a pen pal
