Fijian Cultural Experiences That Will Leave A Lasting Impression

In Fiji ‘Bula’ means hello, but it is more than a greeting – it also means life. This single word captures the essence of Fiji.  The warmth and friendliness of the local islanders and their deep sense of community and appreciation for the simple beauty of life. 

It is easy to let nature lead when thinking of a holiday in Fiji – sun-drenched beaches, clear water and verdant rainforests all spring to mind but the islands are also filled with culture, history, art and local craftmanship. The wonderfully laid back islanders with their unique customs, also make Fiji a cultural destination well worth exploring. 

Discover why Fiji offers cultural experiences that will leave a lasting impression.

Fijian culture is a mix of Melanesian (Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea) traditions, with cultural contributions from Polynesian, Indian, Chinese and European communities who make up the islands. This rainbow culture is underpinned by strong community values and a multi-layered approach to customs, music, art and dance. Community and family are at the heart of everything Fijians hold dear. There is a hierarchical system of chiefs that preside over villages and Elders are held in high regard. Three towns in particular are known for their cultural significance.

Suva is the capital and cultural hub of Fiji and the economic hub of the wider Pacific region. Saying this, Suva is still small, colourful and vibrant, filled with wide avenues, lush greenery and British colonial-style buildings. Notable landmarks are the Fiji Museum, located within Thurston Gardens - the city’s botanical garden with plants from all over the Pacific region.  

The Fiji museum contains a large collection of Fijian artefacts including traditional canoes, war clubs and tattooing instruments. In ancient Fijian culture, Veiqia was a cultural tattooing art, practiced exclusively on women. It symbolised  beauty and identity. 

The City Carnegie Library, built in 1909, is a stunning architectural example of the many colonial buildings found in the city. State House, the official residence of Fiji’s president, is also built in the colonial-style -a remnant of Britain’s colonisation. 

The Cumming Street area is a bustling shopping neighbourhood filled with busy alleyways lined with stalls and shops selling clothing, jewellery, food and electronics whilst the Flea Market on Gordon Street, off Victoria Parade offers clothing, trinkets, Indian spices and street food. Suva Municipal Market on Harris Street is a hive of activity. The market is filled with every kind of fruit and vegetable imaginable including bitter gourds, jackfruit, cassava, yams and taro. Prices are low and clearly marked so there is no need to bargain. 

Suva has several parks to explore. The Takashi Garden at Suva point is a great spot for watching sunrise and sunset. Albert Park, located in the city centre, has an interesting heritage. It was the site of Fiji’s independence celebrations and where the southern cross aircraft landed during the first trans-pacific flight by Kingsford Smith. Albert park also hosts various festivals and carnivals throughout the year. 

Suva abounds with festivals including The Hibiscus Festival – a nine-day celebration that lights up Suva every August. This community event brings locals and travellers together with traditional music, food stalls, colourful float parades and energetic dance competitions. Another interesting cultural event is the Hindu South Indian Fire Walking Festival held every year in July or August at the Mariamma Temple. Participants prepare for the fire walk ritual with a ten day period of meditation and fasting in honour of the Hindu Goddess, Maha Devi. 

Holi, known as the Festival of Love and Colours usually takes place in March in Suva and it is one of the most vivid celebrations for Indo-Fijians. This joyful festival marks the triumph of good over evil. Streets and neighbourhoods come alive with different coloured  bursts of powder – blue represents divinity, red symbolises love and fertility, green is for new beginnings and yellow for knowledge. You can join in the festivities and dance and celebrate love and spring.

Levuka is a small, colonial, port town on the eastern coast of Ovalu island and in 2013 was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was founded in 1820 by European settlers and traders and became an important, albeit small, port and trading post.  Much of Levuka’ s unique heritage is in what remains of its wooden architecture.

Levuka is surrounded by six-hundred-metre-high hills, many with cliffs, making it seem like you’re in a basin. The city was originally built by missionaires and is still home to the Sacred Heart Church on Beach Street, the Marist Convent School and two Methodist Churches. 

The Levuka Community Centre, which houses a branch of the Fiji Museum, a public library and crafts centre, occupies a renovated store built in 1878 and which is still in business in Fiji today.  

Whilst in Levuka we suggest going on a day trip to Devokula Village, a youth project on northern Ovalau. The village is dedicated to preserving indigenous Fijian culture. You will see costumed warriors perform and discover authentic traditions that support sustainability – fishing, building techniques, medicinal plants, farming and local craftsmanship. During the trip you will also be able to swim and snorkel, and enjoy a traditional Fijian lunch of fresh fish, local root vegetables and fruits served in an open-air bure.  

Levuka comes alive with traditional festivals held throughout the year, with Fiji Day in October being the highlight. This annual celebration commemorates Fiji’s independence from Britain. The annual Jubilee Carnival and Levuka Regatta, features canoe races, yacht competitions and other water based activities. Locals and visitors alike can enjoy music, food and festivities honouring Levuka’ s maritime history as Fiji’s former capital and significant port town during colonial rule.

Nadi is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, with many of the islanders being of Asian, Indian, and Fijian descent. The Hindu temple, Sri Siva Subramaniya is a landmark site in Nadi. The temple’s traditional Dravidian architecture features intricate carvings on the pyramid shaped towers and on the ceiling frescos. 

Nadi may be small but it’s a great place to relax and shop. You’ll find a variety of unique handicrafts and souvenirs and local flavours at the Namaka Market. From traditional kava bowls and colourful fabrics to carved wooden boxes, masks and handmade bags. 

Visit the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, a local plantation that dazzles with more than two thousand exotic orchid varieties. Go swimming at the Sabeto Hot Springs – natural thermal mud baths and visit Fiji’s oldest settlement, Viseisei Village where you can expereince a traditional Meke dance performance and enjoy a Kava ceremony. Head to Port Denaru for waterfront dining and to take in a Fijian cultural show. 

The Bula Festival is a week-long cultural celebration held in Nadi in July and features music, dance, food stalls and a beauty parade.

Fijian’s base their heritage and values on the wonderful art and craftmanship that can be found on every corner of the islands. Their bark cloth (masi) is highly sought after with intricate designs drawn on cloth exclusively by women.  It’s a type of textile made from beating the inner bark of the mulberry tree with a mallet until it becomes soft and pliable. It is mostly decorated with stencil work, and dyed using natural dyes like soot and red clay.  The cloth is significant culturally as it’s used during festivals and formal ceremonies.  

Fijian weaving is a skill that requires patience, precision, and a deep understanding of natural materials. Pandan leaves, coconut fibres, and strips of the baka tree bark are just a few of the elements used in this ancient artform.  When buying woven mats, you can choose between voivoi and kivu woven mats where materials, patterns and weaving techniques differ depending on what it is that you’re after making. You can take a weaving workshop while staying in Suva which also includes a traditional Fijian lunch. 

Wood carving is a popular form of Fijian art incorporating traditional designs and materials. Typically, vesi wood is used to make items like kava bowls and masks, and even ancient war clubs, which depict ancestral spirits and various figurative sculptures representing people and animals.  Fijian carvings are known for their cultural significance and elaborate designs that often reflect mythology. Using traditional tools and techniques, artisans pass their skills down from generation to generation. You can find traditional woodcrafts at Jack’s Handicrafts in Suva – a third generation Fijian carver. 

Lapita pottery has a distinct style derived from potters from an ancient Pacific culture who brought the tradition to Fiji about three and a half thousand years ago.  The pottery is known for its complex geometric designs, which are often cut into the clay vessel and then filled with a lime-based paste for colour contrast.  Like the wood carving, traditional skills are utilised with potters creating items like bowls, jewellery and figurines.  Support local artisans and get hands-on-experience at a Lapita potters workshop available at the Nakabuta Pottery Village in Sigatoka.

Music and dance play a major role in every aspect of daily life and, from the minute you arrive, you’ll be serenaded by the friendly islanders.  There is so much to do, see and experience that you’ll be pressed for time no matter the length of your stay in Fiji.

Experience a formal Yaqona (Kava) Ceremony.  It’s a way for Fijians to show hospitality to their guests.  The Kava root is pounded, strained and mixed with water in a large bowl (tanoa) and then poured into small cups (bilo).  Participants sit in a circle on the floor and the most senior person in the circle presents each bilo filled with kava to the most senior person.  Guests clap once before drinking and three times after, shouting “Bula”.

Meke is a traditional Fijian dance. It sometimes takes the form of a graceful, fan dance filled with elaborate and colourful dresses to war dances where men stomp in warrior dress covered in traditional tattoos.  Each performance is the story of either great loss, great love or historic lore. 

Visiting an authentic local village is a great opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of Fiji’s unique culture and traditions. Villagers are welcoming and want to share their way of live.  It is worth noting that many Fijians still live in traditional homes which aptly demonstrates how closely aligned they are to their heritage.

Enjoy communal feasting where food, music and conversation is the cornerstone of island life.  Fijian cuisine is a blend of traditional cooking methods and local ingredients. Staples include starchy root vegetables like cassava and tara, along with yams, coconuts and breadfruit. Seafood plays a pivotal role, with freshly caught fish and shellfish cooked in coconut milk curries or served raw. Whether roasted, steamed in an underground oven or boiled, Fijian food is all hearty, shared meals. 

Local feasts are traditionally cooked in a 'lovo' - an underground earthen oven, heated by hot rocks. Yam, taro, kumala and cassava as well as meat and fish dishes are slow cooked so that the flavours of each dish are enhanced through the process. Kokoda is another dish worth trying – this traditional Fijian dish is where raw fish, like snapper, is marinated in lime juice and coconut milk.  The acidity from the lime “cooks” the fish (similar to ceviche) whilst the creamy coconut milk balances the lime.  Fresh local ingredients like onion, tomatoes and chilli peppers as well as coriander and spring onions are added for their spicy, fragrant flavour. Babakau are delicious little sweet fried pancakes usually served at breakfast. 

Local ingredients like seafood, tropical fruits, starchy vegetables and coconut are prominent in most dishes along with  a unique blend of spices. Visit the Municipal Market and Flea Market in Suva where you’ll be spoilt for choice, or head to any number of restaurants which serve local dishes like Tika’s Floating Restaurant where the menu changes daily but always includes freshly caught seafood dishes. 

Isa Lei Fijian Restaurant in Nadi, offers a  traditional local dining experience, and you can experience authentic Fijian cooking with Vavavi a local family-run cooking class in Nadi. You will learn to cook traditional dishes using a lovo and buy fresh produce from a local market.

In Levuka, Tukuni Restaurant is an excellent choice, as it is known for using local ingredients cooked in the traditional way. Try their palusami dish – mutton with onion, garlic and coconut cream, wrapped in big taro leaves, and cooked in the lovo.