Te Maeva Nui Festival 2022 – Constitution Celebrations
The Cook Islands is a nation that is rich in history, culture and heritage. These foundations are what make the Cook Island people unique and to commemorate our people, each year the national event known as Te Maeva Nui is celebrated.
This week-long dance and culture festival also highlights the August 4th anniversary of the Cook Islands as an independent nation.
This national celebration over the years has grown significantly, drawing international visitors from across the globe to Rarotonga for a week of vibrant cultural celebrations and festivities expressed through storytelling, art, crafts, music, song, dance and of course great local food. Our Cook Islands people are our richest asset, so it is no wonder why this is our nations biggest patriotic holiday celebration.
Cook Island Language Week
When visiting the Cook Islands without a doubt the most commonly used saying is “Kia Orana” this greeting is used to say “hello”. The translation for Kia Orana is “May you live a long and fulfilling life” which is a wonderful sentiment that embodies the true Cook Island spirit. Tying in with Te Maeva Nui Festival, during the first week of August each year we also celebrate the beauty of our Cook Island language.
Cook Island Maori language is a lovely language to experience and is a great way to broaden your vocabulary and fully immerse yourself in our culture when visiting us. It can be a fun way to interact with the locals, who will appreciate your effort as we love sharing our language. There are a total of five living languages spoken in the Cook Islands however it may surprise you to learn that aside from Cook Islands Maori, English is the other official Cook Islands language.
All islands have different accents and some unique words and have certain ways of saying things. For example, thank you very much transforms from simply ‘meitaki maata’ on Rarotonga to meitaki atupaka on Aitutaki, meitaki ngao on Mangaia, meitaki nui on Mauke and meitaki polea on Penrhyn.
During your next visit to our little slice of paradise we have compiled a list of commonly used Cook Island phrases to get you started https://www.pacificresort.com/news-and-events/the-beautiful-cook-island-language-10-phrases-for-your-next-trip/