Fiji · Tonga · Samoa · Vanuatu
Kava is four different things in four different countries
The same plant carries a ceremony in Samoa, a welcome in Fiji, a men's evening in Vanuatu and a social institution in Tonga.
Kava is made from the root of Piper methysticum, mixed with water and drunk from a shared cup. What changes across the region is the setting and the rules around it: a highly formal ʻava ceremony in Samoa, the sevusevu welcome and evening bowl in Fiji, the nakamal at dusk in Vanuatu, and faikava gatherings in Tonga. Treat each as its own occasion.
The cup
Clap, take the whole cup, clap again
In Fiji the usual sequence is one clap as the cup (bilo) is offered, drinking it in one go, then three claps and a word of thanks. Others will show you. Half-drinking it and handing it back is the awkward move, not drinking it at all is fine if you say so before the round starts.
- Accept with both hands, seated
- Say “bula” before you drink if that is what the group is doing
- Declining is acceptable — decline before the bowl is prepared, not mid-round
Samoa
The ʻava ceremony is a matter of rank
A Samoan ʻava ceremony is a formal event that seats people by title and serves them in a set order, with an orator speaking on behalf of the group. A visitor is a participant in someone else's formal occasion. Follow the seating you are given, do not photograph across the circle without asking, and do not treat it as a tasting.
Reference: Samoa Tourism Authority
Vanuatu
The nakamal opens at dusk and it is quiet
In Vanuatu kava is typically drunk at a nakamal in the early evening. Kava there is generally stronger than the tourist-facing bowls elsewhere, and the etiquette is calm: people drink, step aside, spit, and sit in low light without loud conversation. Shouting, filming strangers and drinking round after round are all out of place.
- One shell is a normal amount for a first visit
- Do not drive afterwards
- Talking loudly is the main thing that marks out a visitor
Care
It is a depressant, and it interacts with things
Kava is sedating. It does not mix sensibly with alcohol, and people on medication — particularly anything affecting the liver — should treat it as a substance rather than a soft drink. If you are pregnant, driving, diving in the morning or on a course of medication, decline politely and no one will mind.
Questions visitors ask
Will kava make me drunk?
Not in the way alcohol does. It relaxes the body, numbs the mouth and can make you drowsy. Strength varies enormously between countries and between batches.
Can women drink kava?
In tourist and urban settings, generally yes. Some traditional ceremonies are structured around titled men. Follow the room you are in and let your host guide you.
Is it legal to take kava home?
Rules differ by destination country and change. Check your own country's current import rules before you buy any to carry, and declare it.
Revised August 2026. Protocol varies by island and by village; on the ground your host is the authority.