Was Married

When George Tubou Ii

Tongan Incidents of Long Ago

By F. T. Goedicke-Van Asten

rpHE ceremonies connected with the J. marriage of the two Royal Princes of Tonga, in 1947, were performed according to the old customs of Tonga.

Nominally, the Queen selected suitable brides for her sons, and informed them accordingly.

The marriage of their grandfather, King George Tubou 11, was entirely a European affair, but it took nearly two years before they finally decided who was going to occupy the second chair on the dais at the King’s chapel. His Majesty, instead of marrying Princess Ofa, of Niua Toputapu, as was expected by nearly all the people, chose for his Queen, Princess Lavina, daughter of Kubu, Minister of Police, and grand daughter of Lavinia Mahanga, the high est chiefly woman of Vavau.

On Monday, May 22, 1899, the nobles and chiefs met—at the invitation of the king—to consider the matter of his marriage. The king wrote to them to acquaint them with the fact that, of the two Princesses, he preferred Lavinia.

Notwithstanding the expressed pre ference of Tubou for Kubu’s daughter, 17 of the Chiefs, as the result of their deliberation, expressed their opinion that the King should marry Ofa, and there were only some seven in favour of Lavinia, the King’s choice.

A letter was sent to Tubou, informing

him that the majority of his Chiefs thought he should espouse Ofa.

The King thanked them for their labours and the trouble they had been at, but again informed them that his mind was thoroughly made up. To all their letters and remonstrances, sent to him day by day. he had but the one answer which could be put into the words of one of Shakespear’s characters —“Lavinia will I make my Empress, and in the sacred Pantheon her espouse.”

After many days of lengthy discussions, and upon Tubou’s declaration that if he could not marry Lavinia, he would marry no one, but remain single, the majority of the Nobles gave in and, in the end, the result was that a message was sent to His Majesty in which he was requested to please himself. Which he did by al most immediately issuing invitations to the wedding between Princess Lavinia and himself. 11HE day appointed for this long-de ferred ceremony was a splendid one; magnificent, real, Queen’s weather, as they say in Old England—not a cloud in the sky for the greater part of the day.

At 11 a.m. the firing of a Royal Salute announced the approach of the King, who was accompanied by Fatafahi (his father) who acted as groomsman, and he had two pages also in attendance, dressed in the Royal Colours, red and white.

Tubou had not long to wait; and as Lavinia, with her attendant, six brides maids, and accompanied by her father Kubu (who was to give her away) marched slowly up the Church, the King stepped down from his dais, and took his place at her side in front of the Com munion rail. The proceedings commenced shortly after 11 a.m. by the singing of a

wedding hymn, and the chanting of the Lord’s Prayer. The music was the com position of His Majesty who had consider able musical ability. The “Declaration precedent to marriage” was as usual.

Service was in extenso, by the officiating minister, the Rev. J. B. Watkin, the King’s Chaplain.

Immediately after the marriage ser vice, the Royal couple ascended the dais and took their respective chairs. After

a few moments, the King stood up. The Princess Lavinia knelt on a footstool, and her principal bridesmaid unfastened her veil, and the King, placing a light, ele gant gold crown upon her head, pro claimed her to be the Queen of Tonga.

The King gave his arm to the Queen and, descending from the dais, walked into the palace, where the presentation of Europeans and Tongans took place.

The wedding cake had been made in

Auckland some two years before at a first cost of £l2O and had been lying all this time in the Customs shed, where heat and ants had made havoc of it. It was renovated—or rather, rebuilt, for it was a five decker—by Mr. A. Cowley, our local confectioner, who was an artist in this line, and who also prepared the greater part of the champagne break fast.

That was 50 years ago—but both Mr.

Cowley and I are still here to bear testi mony.