Among the rituals and traditions in Polynesia is the drinking of Kava. Kava is a tea like beverage (tastes like mud) that is both part of religious and social ceremonies and an everyday relaxer. Kava comes from a root that is usually ground and dried into a powder. It is then mixed with water and strained through a cloth to get the big chunks out.
Kava is a mild narcotic and depending how potent the root or how strong it is mixed it's effect can range from a mild numbness in your lips and mouth to making you unable to get up off the floor. Traditionally kava has been reserved for the men who sit on a large mat on the floor with a wooden bowl of kava in the center. They sit and solve the issues of the world while they pass around coconut shells of the brew. The effects are definitely those of a tranquilizer, not hallucinogenic or like alcohol. All in all, a very mellow experience!
Kava is a normal part of life in the South Pacific and the raw roots as well as bags of the powder are sold in the local market. One of the fancier restaurants here in Vava'u has two nights each week where they have local musicians for evening entertainment. The performers sit on the floor playing their stringed instruments and have a large bowl in the center. Restaurant patrons, men and women, are welcome to come sit with them and partake of a bowl (or more). The whole experience has a rather mystical feel as one takes their shoes off and sits cross legged on the mat. The approved method is to chug the contents of the bowl which ellicits approval and clapping from the rest of the circle.
Every afternoon, in front of the police / fire station, the officers and firemen are all sitting outside around a bowl. It's their equivalent of after work happy hour. We had an unexpected kava experience on the island of Lupe where we attended a Sunday morning church service. There are only 5 families on this island and the Methodist church was very small. We arrived with some other boaters a bit early for the service and noticed the women and children milling around the church. The 6 men of the village were sitting in a small open sided shack with the large bowl in the middle. They were all dressed in their Sunday best and they invited us (men only) to join them. 3 of us slipped off our sandals and joined the circle. As they passed around shells of kava one of the men quietly murmured prayers in Tongan. When the time for church approached, all of us, including the minister, shared one last cup and headed into the church. Definitely a religous experience ........
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