Ponani on Efate

"Ponani" is the holiday activity held the first few weeks of January every year in Vanuatu. Families or entire villages form groups that travel around by invitation to perform religious songs in honor of the new year. Baby powder is doused liberally on performers, drunken men often circle the group shouting loud inebriated exclamations like "HOORAY" and "HAPPY NEW YEAR" and gifts such as rice, soap and money are given to the Ponani group as a thank you.

I had experienced "Ponani" on Aneityum, but on Efate, it is a much different experience all together.

On Aneityum, family groups perform local language songs together, led by a a guitar gently strumming along while young boys and girls harmonize. It is relatively peaceful with the occasional outburst of a drunken man interrupting the songs.

On Efate, Ponani has transformed entirely. Here, villagers do not stop at baby powder. Flour mixed with water is poured over heads, which clings to your hair and it is impossible to get out without submerging yourself in water. Bright red and blue dye is thrown on faces leaving near permanent stains, which are visible for days afterwards. Grease from trucks, dirty engine oil, ripe papayas mashed up, paint, mud- it is all fair game.

I joined the Ponani group from my village and we traveled by truck on several different late nights and sang all over North and East Efate. In the village of Ekipe, some children even decided to use cow poop as a weapon and smeared it across my right leg. Many boys wore sunglasses to cover their eyes from the irritating baby powder and mommas tried their best to cover their hair with calico cloth. Anyhow, it was an enjoyable few nights but I could have done without the cow excrement.

When one Ponani group performs and is doused with grease and paint- the singers remember well and return the favor whenever that village sends its Ponani group in exchange. It is like a never-ending cycle of retaliation mixed with Christmas carols...