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Tonga Crowns First King In More Than Four Decades
Tonga's King George Tupou V is led from an installation ceremony in Nuku'alofa, Tonga, on Wednesday. He was anointed the South Pacific's newest monarch in a centuries-old ritual that included receiving gifts of dozens of roasted pigs and slurping the mild narcotic, kava.
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King George Tupou of the Pacific island nation of Tonga was crowned on Friday. It was the first coronation there in more than four decades.
The small nation — just a strip of islands east of Fiji — threw two ceremonies for the new king. The first one was a traditional "kava" celebration marked by offerings of pigs and the drinking of a mildly narcotic brew called kava. The second was a more Western affair — complete with gold scepter and white ermine fur cape. There was also a weeklong imperial bash featuring three coronation balls and a huge pig roast.
Tongans have been pushing for British-style democracy — there were mass protests in 2006 — but they also want to hold onto their 1,000-year-old royal tradition. The king has vowed to reform the government.
Siua Lafitani, a Tongan journalist based in Australia, flew back for the fete and describes the festivities.
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