Marshall Islands: Holidays, Events, Climate
Regular sporting events
- Fishing championshipsCountless fishing championships are held on Majuro Island every year. The main championships are held on the weekend closest to July 4th and the fourth Thursday of November.
- Regatta Outrigger Marshall Islands CupThis regatta will be held in May.
Public holidays
There are a number of public holidays that do not have a fixed date, but are based on the location of Easter. Easter takes place on the first Sunday that follows the first full moon after the beginning of spring. Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, which ends on Holy Saturday, is 46 days before Holy Saturday. The date for Pentecost is then 50 days after Easter. The Corpus Christi festival is celebrated on the 2nd Thursday after Pentecost. All Saints’ Day is celebrated for Orthodox Christians on the 1st Sunday after Pentecost, but for Catholic Christians the date is fixed on November 1st. On October 31, Protestants celebrate Reformation Day. The Halloween festival also takes place on this day.
Date | Holiday |
January 1 | New Year |
1st March | Day of the Nuclear Victims |
March April | Good Friday |
March | Yap State Day |
1st of May | Marshall Islands Constitution Day |
1st Friday in July | Fishermen’s Day |
1. Friday in September | Manit Day, day of traditions, customs and habits |
November 17 | Presidents’ Day |
3rd Thursday in November | Thanksgiving (Kamolol Day) |
1st Friday in December | Gospel Day |
24th of December | Christmas |
Source: Countryaah – Marshall Islands Holidays
Marshall Islands: climate
The climate of the Marshall Islands is tropical, so hot and humid. The climate is somewhat moderate from January to March due to the northeast trade winds. The temperatures are on average around 30 degrees. The rainy season is from May to November.
The islands are on the edge of the typhoon belt, so typhoons are rare. In the months of March and April as well as October to November it can still be very stormy.
The best time to travel to the Marshall Islands
The best time to travel is from January to March.
Climate table
Month | Average number of rainy days | Mean maximum temperatures in (°C) | Mean minimum temperatures in (°C) |
January | 06-07 | 28-30 | 25-26 |
February | 05-06 | 28-30 | 25-26 |
March | 08-09 | 28-30 | 25-26 |
April | 10-11 | 28-29 | 25-26 |
May | 15-16 | 29-30 | 24-25 |
June | 14-15 | 29-30 | 25-26 |
July | 16-17 | 30-31 | 25-26 |
August | 16-17 | 30-31 | 25-26 |
September | 16-17 | 30-31 | 25-26 |
October | 16-17 | 30-31 | 25-26 |
November | 17-18 | 28-29 | 25-26 |
December | 11-12 | 29-30 | 24-25 |
Marshal Islands: national customs
The Marshall Islands are one of the few islands in the Pacific where traditional weaving with looms exists.
Traditional social structure
The culture of the Marshall Islands is matrilineal, which means that the mother’s land is passed on to the descendants. This is particularly important as the whole of society is structured around land ownership. Every Marshallese has rights or property claims to the land through their tribe, the “Jowi”. There is no such thing as individual land ownership. The tribe is led by a chief, the “Ironij”, who has sole control of all resources. This in turn is controlled by a chief, “Alap”. The simple workers are called “Rijerbal” and are busy with routine work such as farming and building houses. Land ownership is the link between extended families.
Traditional boat building
In Micronesia, which includes the Marshall Islands, the catamaran, a boat with two hulls that was otherwise common in the South Pacific, was never common. The typical boat of the region had a hull and an outrigger, hence also called an outrigger boat. When sailing, the fellow sailors have to distribute their weight between the boom and the main hull, depending on the prevailing winds. Sailboats of this type could carry up to 40 passengers and be up to 30 m long. The boats could reach speeds of up to 12 knots (1 knot = 1.852 km per hour), which is a technical masterpiece when you compare this speed with that of an average modern mid-range yacht of 6 – 8 knots. The sails were woven from panda nut leaves and the boat hulls were mainly made from the wood of the breadfruit tree.
Navigation with the help of rod charts In the
past, sailors used the stars and observing currents in the water to orient themselves. The constellation of the stars was learned by heart through years of training and memorization. So-called stick maps, which reproduced the ocean currents of the individual islands, served the navigators as a memory aid. In general, long journeys were only made when the trade winds weren’t blowing and the weather was calm. You always set out in groups of several boats.
Body cult
Traditionally, all marshalers were tattooed until the missionaries arrived. The tattoo itself was a complex procedure that was very painful and dragged on for months. It symbolized the end of childhood and entry into the adult world. Face tattoos were reserved for the chiefs only. Abstract patterns in the form of lines, points or zigzag lines were used, which were modeled on nature such as the sea, mussels, fish etc. The paint consisted of coconut charcoal and was pounded into the skin with fish bones. They drummed to numb the pain.
The residents of the Marshall Islands were famous for having the longest ears in the world. The perforated earlobes had a length of at least 7.5 cm.
Marshall Islands: Sightseeing
- Abbreviationfinder.org: Presents the way that MH stands for the nation of Marshall Islands as a two-letter acronym.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Bikini Atoll
The Bikini Atoll belongs to the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean with 23 other islands. The atoll was partially destroyed by US atomic bomb tests from 1946 to 1950. The area of Bikini Island is 2.3 km², the associated lagoon is 40 km long and 24 km wide. and up to 60 m deep.
Before 1946 there were about 200 residents on Bikini Island who were evacuated by the Americans. The residents were promised that they would be able to return to their island after a short time. The promise was not kept and so some of the residents who had moved to Rongerik Atoll, a previously uninhabited island, set out independently in small boats to get to their island. They died of radiation sickness shortly after entering the island. The other residents were resettled several times, for example on the island of Kwajalein. Later they were settled on the island of Kili. Since then, they have no longer been able to feed themselves and are dependent on external supplies. A total of 67 atomic bombs were detonated on the islands. About 40,000 people – technicians, Scientists and military personnel. Rats, goats and pigs were used as test animals – only a few of these survived.
because they too were radioactive. The residents then had to leave the island again. A shorter visit there is now considered safe. Plants are growing again on the island and there are also regrowing corals and many fish in the lagoon. On July 31, 2010, the Bikini Atoll was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, which met in Brasilia, Brazil.
More information about the nuclear weapon tests and swimwear “bikini” here >>>
Capital
Majuro
Majuro has about 25,000 residents, making it the largest city and the capital of the Marshall Islands. The Marshall Islands International Airport is located in Majuro, with which many of the visitors to the islands are sure to come.
Special structures
Tobolar Copra and Soap Factory
Copra, the dried coconut meat, is the economic base for many Pacific islands. Production is still an important source of income today. During the tour, you can learn how copra is processed into soap, coconut oil and coconut food.
Museums
Alele Museum & Public Library
The Alele Museum is dedicated to the history of the country. Artifacts, tools, a geological model of the islands and numerous historical photos are on display. All in all, this museum offers a small but good quality exhibition on early Marshallese culture.
University of the South Pacific
The University of the South Pacific was founded in 1968. Due to the geography of the South Pacific states, the university is spread over many locations. The University of the South Pacific is funded by 12 states, these are:
- Cook Islands
- Fiji Islands
- Kiribati
- Marshal Islands
- Nauru
- Niue
- Solomon Islands
- Samoa
- Tokelau
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
The main campus of the university is located in Suva, Fiji Islands. A total of around 16,000 students are currently studying at all branches. The University of the South Pacific offers the following degree programs:
- Agricultural Sciences
- Computer science
- journalism
- tourism
- Social sciences
- environmental Protection
- Economics
Natural beauties
Laura Beach
This very beautiful beach is located on the western tip of the Majuro Atoll.
Activities
Deep sea angling and angling
In addition to a large number of reef fish, marlins, tunas, wahoo, barracudas, mahmahis and “sailfish” are fished.
Diving
The Bikini Atoll, which was only opened to tourism in 1996, offers one of the dive sites for wreck diving. You can admire wrecks from World War II, including the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga, which is the only one in the world that can be submerged. The Japanese warship Nagato can also be visited during a dive.