In
Fijian traditions and ceremonies, a Coconut shell cup, also called a bilo, is used to serve
kava
Kava or kava kava (''Piper methysticum'': Latin 'pepper' and Latinized Ancient Greek, Greek 'intoxicating') is a plant in the Piperaceae, pepper family, native to the Pacific Islands. The name ''kava'' is from Tongan language, Tongan and Marqu ...
and yaqona. The Samoan name for this cup is ''tauau'' or generally, ''ipu tau ava'' ('ava cup).
The coconut shell cup used for distributing the 'ava in a
ʻAva ceremony is made from the half shell of a ripe
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
that has been cleaned and polished.
It is sometimes ornamented with different designs, and after early European contact, it was sometimes decorated with inlaid silver.
See also
*
Coco chocolatero, the coconut shell cup of the Americas
*
Coconut cup
*
Kava culture
Kava cultures are the religious and cultural traditions of western Oceania which consume kava. There are similarities in the use of kava between the different cultures and islands, but each one also has its own traditions.
Australia
In Australia ...
References
{{Glassware
Coconuts
Drinkware
Kava