- Full ceremony -- on every formal occasion
- Meeting of village elders, chiefs, and nobles, and for visiting chiefs and dignitaries
- Less formal -- social occasions
Originally to prepare the Kava drink, a young boy or girl would cut the root, chew, and spit the macerated mass into a bowl where some milk of coconuts was poured on top. The coconuts were then strained, and the chips were squeezed until all the juices are mixed with the coconut milk. The whole liquor was decanted into another bowl and drank as fast as possible. Now a more sanitary preparation is required since the previous method is unsanitary, and therefore illegal. The new method involves grinding and grating instead of chewing and spitting.
After the preparation, a group of young men dressed in ceremonial attire carry the Kava bowl and deliver it to the chief guest. If the whole bowl is drank without stopping everyone yells "a maca" (pronounced "a matha"), meaning "it is empty" and then claps three times. The Kava bowl is then served to the next person of importance or rank.
It is the drink of pleasure for chiefs and essential on occasions of hospitality and feasting. Commoners were subject to penalty of death if caught drinking Kava at one time, and therefore the sacred nature of the drink warrants that its preparation and use are always done with respect.
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