Why do they celebrate white Sunday?

Answer 1

It is a great pleasure for me to share with you some aspects of our

Samoan Worshipping life, especially the prayer life of the people.

The Christian Church in Samoa was established in the early nineteenth century.

Then the three major denominations which spread the Christian gospel in

Samoa were the Congregational Church (formerly known as LMS) the Roman

Catholic and the Methodist. Up until the mid twentieth century other

denominations such as the Mormon, Seventh Day Adventist, and the Assembly

of God started to spread throughout Samoa.

Church life in Samoa is very important. Most villages have two to three worship

services each Sunday. The morning service time is varied either between 8 -11

and the afternoon service time is always from 3.00pm. Other church activities

including youth fellowship, continue later in the evening.

Children's Services are normally held at the Minister's house every Sunday

evening. The children play a big part in the worship life of each denomination.

Children and young people are encouraged to have choirs. These choirs are

used in main services.There is a special Sunday each year allocated to the

young people to lead worship. Children are asked to perform dramas, action

songs or hymns. It's the time where children read memory verses from The Bible.

This Sunday is called "White Sunday" (Lotu Tamaiti).

The reason Samoans call this special Sunday, White Sunday is because

everyone has to wear White. White is the important most colour in any church in

Samoa. It relates very much to the missionary concept of white for purity. In

Samoa white is regarded as the symbol of a 'pure heart'. Because the

missionaries who came to the island with the good news, they wore white

clothes, so naturally the Samoans followed their footsteps. It has now become

very much part of the Church culture.

The way we dress from head to toe is very important in the Samoan Church life.

Women are expected to wear hats. They also wear a lavalava and a top or very

neat dresses. Men wear lavalavas, a shirt and a tie. Men also desire to wear a

suit. You would never see a man going into a church wearing a t-shirt or jeans.

Everyone has to dress in their best. I've heard a Minister of the Uniting Church

said "It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside, it's what is in the inside

that matters". But to us, whatever you look like on the outside, shows what the

inside is like. We believe God is pure and holy, so we should be entered into His

house in purity and clean both on the inside and outside.

Sunday is the most important day in our Samoan lives, and that's why every

village have their own policies when it comes to Sunday. In Samoa, between

services we would stay home, read the Bible or just rest. If you get caught

having a swim in the sea, sorry, you will be paying a fine to the Village Council!