The Tongan community in Samoa marked White Sunday at the University of the South Pacific Samoa Campus at Alafua on Sunday.

The program included performances by children where they memorised bible verses as well as did skits and sang songs. 

Most of their performances were done in the Tongan language with one of the skits performed by the youth based on the biblical story of Ruth and Naomi.

Reverend Soi Finau told the Samoa Observer that they celebrate White Sunday on the first Sunday of May and this is the month that is dedicated to family.

"We have White Sunday on the first Sunday of May and next Sunday is Mother's Day and the following Sunday we will have Father's Day. I know in Samoa you celebrate White Sunday on October but for us it's the first Sunday (in May)," he said.

Asked when the celebration was first marked in Samoa, he said he is not aware when the Tongan community first started to host these events in Apia but he has been a part of it ever since he came to Samoa in 2017.

"It's been five years since I came to Samoa and I have witnessed this event happening from then on. We used to do it in class, the kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2 and up to the youth but because there was little time we decided to have performances from every family," he added. 

"We have a couple here who don't have children with them because they are adults and have families of their own and now live abroad so we celebrate this together as a community."

There are roughly seven families in their community, according to Rev Soi with most of the people were attending the service either students of the U.S.P. or others who were in Samoa as part of their employment. 

"The children performing some of them are U.S.P. students, some of them are the children of the people who came to Samoa for work purposes. 

"We have a member at Secretariat of Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Bank South Pacific and other Ministries so we have grown here in Samoa."

The children enjoyed being at the centre of the celebrations at the U.S.P. Samoa Campus with their performances in remembrance of White Sunday for this year.