Father's Day in Tonga

This is a great treat for the family because they get to feast like royalty two Sundays in a row.

The Tongan translation for father is tamai. Unlike the traditional definition of a father, the term tamai not only refers to one’s biological male parent, but also to the father’s brothers, and his male cousins. If a child’s father neglects his fatherly duties, it is the responsibility of the father’s brothers and/or male cousins to step in and fulfill the father’s roles for the child. Therefore, a Tongan child can never say he or she is ta’e tamai, meaning without a father. Although if someone in Tonga is mostly without male parents in his home, he never considers himself fatherless.