In Samoa, birthdays are not often celebrated. Often when I even ask children when their birthdays are, they tell me that they do not know. This is very different from American culture where every year, we think of what to do on our birthdays. Turning 21, however, is a very big deal in Samoa. When I first came to the country and found that out, I thought...but why?? The legal drinking age here is 18 so 21 does not have the significance that it does in America. The significance is quite different.
In America, adulthood happens when you turn 18. You can buy cigarettes, vote, or buy lotto tickets (and pay those taxes). Welcome to adulthood!! In Samoa, however, 21 is considered adulthood. Now, Samoans who turn 21 have already been able to buy cigarettes, drink alcohol, vote, and buy lotto tickets; some of those things they may have been doing for quite some time. Being an adult in Samoa is more about getting married and having children.
Samoans are often called children until they get married. I still have plenty of people in my village think of me as a child simply because I am not married. At the age of 21, Samoans are then encouraged to go off and find themselves a husband/wife so that they can be real adults and start having babies of their own.
At a 21st birthday celebration in Samoa, the person turning 21 is given a key. The key is to represent the person's key to freedom. In reality, however, it seems it is the key to go and get married. Samoans get married young here, especially considering that more and more Americans are waiting to get married and start families. The majority of people my age in my village are already married and typically have at least one child. I even had one Samoan who is my age tell me that I need to get married because I am getting old. For those of you who don't know, I'm 28.
A couple months ago, I had the pleasure of celebrating my host sister's 21st birthday. She was able to be in Samoa for it with her family even though she normally lives in New Zealand. We ate a lot of food, had cake, decorated our fale, and took a million photos. It was a bittersweet day as my host dad was not there to be able to see her "become an adult," but we enjoyed it nonetheless. Hope you enjoy the pictures I took from this wonderful occasion.
