Kava in Fiji斐濟(jì)的卡瓦

石斯琳

Does the title confuse you？ If it does， its probably because of the word “kava”. Fijian people are known to be some of the happiest on the planet and somehow people think that the kava may have something to do with that. As a visitor to Fiji， you will most likely be invited to try it yourself during a kava-drinking ceremony1 in your holiday place or during a visit to a local village.

Kava is actually a narcotic2 drink made from mixing the powdered root of the pepper plant with water. It is an indigenous3 plant that has been long used by Pacific Island cultures for its pleasant relaxation effect. In the past it was only used by Fijian chiefs， but is now enjoyed by everyone.

The ceremony of drinking kava is a special custom of Fiji. It occurs on both important and social occasions4， including when accepting guests or visitors into a village. This is how the cere-mony works： The leader strains the liquid and fills a small cup to be presented and drunk in one shot by the chief guest. The guest must clap once before and after drinking the kava. The order of serving then continues from the most important guest down the ranks in order of status. Kava tastes like sediment5 and a little bitter！ Once you drink Kava， you will probably feel tingling6 and numbness7 in your tongue. However， you can have a good night sleep and you will wake up feeling well rested and energized.

It is a big celebration after the Kava ceremony with dancing and music. Its a wonderful way to interact8 with the local villagers. Dont be shy. Join in the dancing. After the Kava ceremony， the visitors are free and welcome to enter and explore the village as they please.

你看到題目時(shí)是否有疑惑？如果有，那可能是因?yàn)椤発ava”這個(gè)單詞吧。斐濟(jì)人被公認(rèn)為是地球上最快樂(lè)的人，有人認(rèn)為這跟卡瓦儀式有一定關(guān)系。去斐濟(jì)旅行的話，在你度假的地方或者去當(dāng)?shù)氐拇迩f觀光時(shí)，你很可能會(huì)被盛情邀請(qǐng)去親身體驗(yàn)一下卡瓦儀式。

卡瓦是一種麻醉飲品，是由當(dāng)?shù)氐暮窐?shù)樹(shù)根粉與水混合而成的。這種本地植物在太平洋島嶼上為人所用由來(lái)已久，以其放松身心的藥效出名。過(guò)去這種植物只有斐濟(jì)的部落酋長(zhǎng)能享用，但現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)人人都能享用。

喝卡瓦的儀式是斐濟(jì)的特殊習(xí)俗，只有在重要的社交場(chǎng)合才會(huì)舉辦，比如在村莊歡迎遠(yuǎn)來(lái)的貴賓或者游客時(shí)。卡瓦儀式是這樣進(jìn)行的：村落首領(lǐng)用力擠出汁液，將汁液裝入小杯中給主客一次喝完，在一飲而盡之前和之后必須各擊掌一次。飲用儀式將從最重要的客人開(kāi)始，按照客人身份地位由高到低進(jìn)行下去?？ㄍ叩目诟邢癯恋砦铮段⒖?。剛一入口會(huì)覺(jué)得舌頭麻麻的。但喝多了你就會(huì)沉沉睡去，醒來(lái)之后會(huì)感覺(jué)休息充分，精神滿滿。

隨著卡瓦儀式結(jié)束，接下來(lái)的是大型慶?；顒?dòng)，人們載歌載舞。這是一個(gè)與當(dāng)?shù)卮迕窕?dòng)交流的絕佳機(jī)會(huì)。不要害羞，大膽地加入舞蹈行列中吧?？ㄍ邇x式結(jié)束之后，游客們就可以自由進(jìn)入并探索斐濟(jì)的村落。endprint