Fiji
Culture
Suva (Capital)
Language
Fiji has three official languages under the 1997 constitution: English, Fijian and Hindi. Fijian is spoken either as a first or second language by indigenous Fijians who make up around 54% of the population. Fijians ofIndian descent make up a further 37%, mainly speaking a local variant of Hindi, known as Fiji Hindi. English, a remnant of British colonial rule over the islands, was the sole official language until 1997 and is widely used in government, business, and education as a lingua franca; considerable business is also done in Fijian, especially away from larger town centre.
Holidays and Festivals
Public holidays in Fiji reflect the country's cultural diversity. Each major religion in Fiji has a public holiday dedicated to it. Also Fiji's major cities and towns hold annual carnivals, commonly called festivals, which are usually named for something relevant to the city or town, such as the Sugar Festival in Lautoka, as Lautoka's largest and most historically important industry is sugar production.
Public Holidays that fall on the weekend are usually moved to either the Friday of the preceding week or the Monday of the following week. This includes religious holidays as well, though in essence they are celebrated on the actual day.