Culture
Like all Polynesian people, Niueans love to celebrate. They have many annual village festivals where they celebrate with dancing, great food, sport, traditional arts and loads of fun. Islanders also still practice their traditional hair-cutting ceremonies for teenage boys, ear-piercing ceremonies for teenage girls, and burial of the dead behind family homes. Niuean women are highly respected for their quality weaving, and individually woven hats, mats, baskets and other crafts can be purchased from the women on market days. Sundays are considered a day of rest and worship, and visitors are asked to respect this custom.
Religion
Most Niueans are Christian and a variety of denominations are represented: 75% of the population belong to the Protestant Church of Niue (Ekalesia Niue) with the remainder being a mix of Catholic, Latter Day Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists and Baha’i. Although most Niueans are active Christians, many still embrace older religious ideas, believing in a supernatural world inhabited by aitu (ghosts and spirit beings) and spirits of dead ancestors.
