SAMOAN DAYS—REPEATED, LOST

THE INTERESTING FACTS WEBSITE NOTED that “In 1892, Samoa had two July 4s in a row.”

“The international date line,” Interesting Facts says, “established in 1884, lies smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, far removed from the coasts of any major continent. That’s a convenient location for the marker officially designating where ‘today’ ends and ‘tomorrow’ begins. But even though the date line might look like it’s in the middle of nowhere, this imaginary boundary has caused a few temporal oddities over the years.”

July 4, 1892. Samoa, in the mid-Pacific, is an example: “In 1892, in a move to strengthen ties to the U.S., the island nation decided to move to the eastern side of the line, essentially moving back in time. (Countries bisected by the date line can choose which side to be on.) Because this change was officially implemented on July 4, the Pacific archipelago then experienced the same day twice.”

Where’s Samoa’s December 30, 2011? Interesting Facts continues, “Fast-forward to 2011, and Samoa decided to strengthen ties with its other, now-more-important trading partners, Australia and New Zealand, by moving back to the western side of the date line. This means Samoa never experienced December 30, 2011; when the clock struck midnight on December 29, Samoan calendars flipped over to December 31.”

And Then There’s American Samoa: “Today, Samoa is still on the western side of the international date line, but when its very close neighbor American Samoa — a U.S. territory only about 135 miles away — was asked to join them, they declined, and stuck with the U.S. on the eastern side. That makes American Samoa the very last inhabited place in the U.S. to enter a new year.” 

Inclusion. Interesting Facts includes a fascinating fact that traditional Samoan culture has four recognized genders: male, female, fa’afafine (“in the manner of a woman”) and fa’afatama (“in the matter of a man”). These genders, Interesting Facts says, “fulfill important roles in Samoan culture by educating their fellow Samoans about sex (otherwise taboo for men and women to discuss directly), taking care of the elderly, and performing rituals such as the dance of the taupou. Today, organizations like the Samoa Fa’afafine Association continue to advocate for equal rights throughout the archipelago.” 

On Another Note Entirely. Having celebrated Samoa, it is not inappropriate for me to share a series of Dad’s/Grandad’s Belated Easter Knock Known Jokes: 

“Knock, knock.” “Who’s there?” “Aether.” “Aether who?” “Aether bunny.” 

“Knock, knock.” “Who’s there?” “Samoa.” “Samoa who?” “Samoa aether bunnies.” 

“Knock, knock.” “Who’s there?” “Estelle.” “Estelle who?” “Estelle Samoa aether bunnies.”

“Knock, knock.” “Who’s there?” “Consumption.” “Consumption who?” “Consumption be done about all these aether bunnies?” ds 

© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2023