julie.monello
Tapati Festival
The Tapati Festival on Rapa Nui is one of the largest cultural festivals in all of Polynesia. Part of the festival involves selecting a Queen Rapa Nui, and the parade is part of the voting process. On the afternoon of the parade, people head to one of the two camps for the family and Queen you want to vote for, you strip naked and dip yourself in colored mud. Once dry, they will paint symbols on your body and then you march in the parade behind the float with your Queen. If you are fully decorated, then the judges give you a 10. If you aren't completely covered in mud and decorated, you might earn a 5, a 2, or a 0, and your vote is weighted accordingly.
Most everyone participates, and it is one of the highlights of the two-week long festival.
Tapati Festival
The Tapati Festival on Rapa Nui is one of the largest cultural festivals in all of Polynesia. Part of the festival involves selecting a Queen Rapa Nui, and the parade is part of the voting process. On the afternoon of the parade, people head to one of the two camps for the family and Queen you want to vote for, you strip naked and dip yourself in colored mud. Once dry, they will paint symbols on your body and then you march in the parade behind the float with your Queen. If you are fully decorated, then the judges give you a 10. If you aren't completely covered in mud and decorated, you might earn a 5, a 2, or a 0, and your vote is weighted accordingly.
Most everyone participates, and it is one of the highlights of the two-week long festival.