Manit day, meaning culture day, is celebrated towards the end of September by the Marshallese people. They celebrate by dancing, singing, and showcasing different traditional foods. In addition, Manit week is the week that leads up to Manit day and each day has a different outfit to wear such as flag colors, amimanos, marshallese hat day, etc.
“My favorite thing to wear during Manit week would definitely be Amimanos,” Senior Lelia Micheal said.
Amimanos are marshallese handicrafts that can be made from collecting seashells off the beach in the Marshall Islands. They can be transformed into different accessories like earrings, bracelets, necklaces, or even a necktie. Amimanos are usually worn for special occasions like birthdays, weddings, or graduations. Another tradition that takes place for Manit day is the performances.
“I like to go to the stands and find food, I also like to perform. The kind of dances I do are hula and biit,” Junior Miriam Pedro said.
One traditional dance is called a biit. It’s when a group of people line up in two columns and dance to a marshallese song. Many dances are performed on Manit day while for audiences to enjoy. Also, some foods that are traditionally served on this day include breadfruit, bananas, seafood, and rice.
“I genuinely love to spend time at church during Manit Day, but it’s been a while since i’ve gone. But Christ takes over most of the Marshallese community,” Michael said.
Christianity is really important to Marshallese culture and many people go to church every Sunday and eat together after and watch some performances as well. Birthdays can also be celebrated with the church and crowds of people get invited.
“Manit week totally gives an opportunity to open our Marshallese cultural inheritance, & influence others” Micheal said. “With that being said, Manit has many values and traditions in life, such as knowing how to respect others around us, being kind to one another, and genuinely being able to express ourselves through dances and such.”