National Culture and Senior Citizens Day in Kiribati Date in the current year: July 11, 2024

National Culture and Senior Citizens Day has been created relatively recently by merging two separate public holidays: National Culture Day and National Senior Citizens Day. It was done to reduce the number of non-working days and their effect on the national economy.

In contemporary Kiribati culture, the traditional beliefs of Micronesian and Polynesian peoples are closely intertwined with Christian traditions, which were brought to Kiribati by European missionaries in the mid-19th century. The three pillars of the culture of Kiribati are family, the church and the sea.

Folk music and traditional dance are a vital part of Kiribati culture. Local music is generally based around chanting accompanied by body percussion, percussion instruments, or a guitar. There are different types of traditional Kiribati songs, including children’s, competitive, love, patriotic, religions, war, and wedding songs.

Kiribati dance is unique compared to other forms of Pacific Islands dance. It has several styles, such as Buki, Kaimatoa, Tirere, Ruoia, Te Kabuti, and Te Rebwe. All styles of Kiribati dancing incorporate bird-like movements inspired by the great frigatebird portrayed on the national flag of Kiribati. They differ in the style of accompanying music, costume, the gender and number of performers, and their position and movement.

Traditional martial arts that have been passed down in several families through the generations also play an important role in the culture of Kiribati. They differ in style, but have a few things in common. First of all, Kiribati martial arts are believed to have originated from ancestral spirits. Second, they rely on speed and agility more than brute strength.

As far as the “Senior Citizens” part of the holiday is concerned, it was introduced to reflect a peculiar feature of the country’s demographic, which is a source of a major concern. Kiribati is one of the world’s least populated countries. Its permanent population is just over 110,000 people, about 11% of whom are elderly people aged over 55 years.

Since Kiribati is the poorest country in Oceania and less then half of its population is of working age, it can be very difficult for families to take care of their elderly members, and senior citizens who have no children or adult grandchildren have no one to rely on. Therefore, taking care of senior citizens and ensuring sufficient quality of life is one of the most important tasks of the government of Kiribati.

National Culture and Senior Citizens Day in Kiribati is marked by various festive events, such as canoe races and traditional dance contests, as well as awareness campaigns aiming to support the country’s senior citizens.

* date for 2024