On March 30, 2012, His Majesty King Tupou VI of Tonga announced his heir to the Tongan throne at “…his residence Liukava.” Prince ‘Ulukalala, the king’s eldest son, is now known as His Royal Highness Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala of Tonga.

On April 5, 2012, members of the Tongan royal family ended their ten days of mourning by participating in the traditional hair-cutting ceremony.  To read more about today’s event as well as to view photos please click here.

Meanwhile in Hilo, Hawai’i, preparations are underway for the 2012 Merrie Monarch Festival an event which “… honors the legacy left by King David Kalākaua, who inspired the perpetuation of our traditions, native language and the arts…”

Yay!   🙂 As you may or may not know by now, I am a huge  supporter as well as fan of this week-long celebration… so yeah, I’m going to promote this amazing festival on my silly little blog.   🙂

Any way, if you are interested watching the hula competitions via live stream on KFVE 5  please click here  beginning on April 12-14 at 6pm Hawai’i time.  Or, if you happen to live on the Big Island or will be vacationing there starting April 8 why not check it out?  You won’t regret it.  For more information about the 2012 Merrie Monarch Festival please visit their official website here.

Sources: Matangi Tonga Online and Merriemonarch.com

Poster courtesy of Merriemonarch.com