White Sunday

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White Sunday

Second Sunday in October

This is a special day celebrated in the Christian churches of both American Samoa and the country of Samoa to honor children. Each child dresses in white and wears a crown of white frangipani blossoms. The children line up and walk to church, carrying banners and singing hymns, while their parents wait for them inside. Instead of the usual sermon, the children present short dramatizations of Bible stories such as the good Samaritan, Noah's ark, and the prodigal son. After the performance is over, the children return to their homes, where their parents serve them a feast that includes roast pig, bananas, taro, coconuts, and cakes. They are allowed to eat all they want, and in a reversal of the usual custom, Lotu-A-Tamaiti is the one day of the year when the adults don't sit down to eat first.
See also Sunday School Day

SOURCES:
AnnivHol-2000, p. 181
BkHolWrld-1986, Oct 14
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 590

References in periodicals archive ?

White Sunday is a special day to celebrate Samoan children, with special church services and wearing white.

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A trio of former CNRP members and a civil society representative yesterday launched a so-called White Sunday campaign calling for the release of political prisoners, drawing a strong rebuke from an Interior Ministry official who said participation in the campaign could invite further legal action.

Activists launch 'White Sunday' movement for release of 'political prisoners'

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Children dressed in their blue and white Sunday school uniform, took a prominent place in the congregation of about 100 who attended the service and a special prayer was conducted to bless Madam Kumaratunga.

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My loyalty will be in one camp and it'll be blue and white Sunday," he told Midlands 103.

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An example of collective efficacy is shown through the White Sunday commemorations.

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On the other hand, several black Baptist and Pentecostal denominations still used white Sunday school publications.

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This is also known as Whitsunday, or "white Sunday", depicting how this has become a popular occasion for Christian baptisms where those being baptised wear white.

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"Amputation is only necessary in extreme cases," counselled my wife when I hobbled into the house after sculpting a snowman in the back garden for our 10-year-old son, during the recent wintry spell, which began on what the more poetic types have already named "White Sunday" to ensure its place in the story of these islands.

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Good Friday, Easter Monday, the day after White Sunday, and Christmas are national public holidays.