Next: 11 Oct 2026
White Sunday
Lotu a Tamaiti: children in white lead the church service, recite verses and are given the first of the feast.
When is White Sunday in 2026?
White Sunday 2026 is on Sunday, 11 October 2026. Other years: 2027, Sunday, 10 October 2027; 2028, Sunday, 8 October 2028.
About White Sunday
White Sunday, or Lotu a Tamaiti ("children's church"), is held on the second Sunday of October in Samoa, American Samoa and Samoan communities abroad, including in New Zealand, Australia and the United States. It is a day dedicated to the children of the church. They dress in white, and the boys in white shirts and lavalava and the girls in white dresses with hats, and fill the church to lead the service, reciting verses from the Bible, singing hymns and performing small plays, while the adults sit and listen. Afterwards, there is a feast at home, at which the children are served first, before the parents and the rest, which is a reversal of the normal order. The children also receive gifts of new clothes and toys.
White Sunday dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | White Sunday date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, 11 October 2026 |
| 2027 | Sunday, 10 October 2027 |
| 2028 | Sunday, 8 October 2028 |
What is eaten
- taro
- palusami
- roast pork
- oka
Also part of it, and being written: Sunday school (The related church tradition.), Lavalava (The wrap skirt.), Samoan culture (The wider community.).
More marked on White Sunday
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "White Sunday" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.