Quiet cheers up North
NEW Year celebrations in Vanua Levu were rather quiet except for those in Seaqaqa who packed the peri-urban centre for a street party on Saturday night.
Those interviewed by this newspaper on New Year’s eve have described New Year’s eve in the North as boring because of no public celebrations compared with those in Viti Levu.
The streets in Labasa Town were quiet, grog vendors at the market attending to daily business while police maintained tight security at checkpoints, nightclubs and residential areas.
The annual event at the cane farming area of Seaqaqa attracted as many as 300 people who travelled from as far as Savusavu to watch entertainment activities and catch up with family and friends.
In opening the event, Mohammed Khan thanked everyone for their support in 2022, which has contributed to business growth in Seaqaqa.
“We’ve reached another end of 2022 and it’s only right that we celebrate our success and look forward to the new year,” he said.
“This annual event has been a great one because it brings people together and we want you to enjoy with families and friends.”
While most attendees travelled from villages surrounding Seaqaqa, some travelled from Savusavu and Labasa.
Rajeshni Singh, who travelled from Savusavu with her family, said nothing was happening in their town.
“It was boring, so when we heard about the New Year’s celebration in Seaqaqa, we decided to travel here and enjoy the evening with friends,” she said.
Villagers from Korovuli walked about three kilometres to Seaqaqa to be part of the celebration.