Major traditional celebration, Heiva i Tahiti is certainly the most famous cultural event of Tahiti and its islands with everything that Polynesia has to offer.
Festivities take place every year throughout the month of July, during which dancers and singers perform. Local “vahine” and “tane” rehearse all year round to get ready for these shows and competitions. Many dance companies will be judged on the quality of the choreography presented, such as the famous “Tamure” where each body movement and every look are part of a seduction code between the dancer and her partner. It will be also possible to see the traditional local outfits. “Moré”, a skirt made of long vegetable fibers, and sarong, long piece of fabric, are still the usual elements, to which can be added pearl  ornaments, beads, polished coconut shells and various sea shells, all with crowns of leaves, tiare or frangipani flower. There are also the “walking on fire”, where brave ones walk a several meters path on glowing embers, while others compete in athletism competitions: canoe races, javelin throwing, stone lifting (weighing over one hundred kilos), bunches of bananas holders races, all in a friendly and festive atmosphere.
