In August and September each year, Papua New Guinea erupts in a dazzling flurry as crowds of men and women congregate in dance and music, draped in all the colours of the rainbow. A “sing-sing” is a gathering of a few tribes and villages in the Oceanian country of Papua New Guinea, where people meet to show off their distinct cultures, dances and music. Its aim is to peacefully share traditions, with villagers elaborately painting and decorating themselves. Each tribe displays its own unique style of fashion, music and dance, creating an amazing spectacle of colours and sounds.
The costumes are what you would expect from the original masters of fancy dress: bright feathers from tropical birds, resplendent headdresses, ornate bone piercings, necklaces of leaves and jangling shells. The two most famous sing sings are the Mount Hagen Cultural Show in August and the Goroka Show in September, whereas in July, the National Mask Festival is held in Rabaul on New Britain Island.
