Isaac's Kemem

A few weeks ago we celebrated Isaac's Kemem, A child's first birthday is one of the most significant events in Marshallese culture. In a culture where many children did not survive infancy, the first birthday was a cause for a village-wide celebration. The entire island would come, and the party would last for many hours. Tyler and I want to always celebrate Isaac and Hunter's Marshallese heritage, so we decided to through Isaac a Kemem. It felt a bit like throwing a wedding reception for a baby, but everything went so well! We had around 250 people there and I think everyone had a great time.

The balloon arch (very traditional for kemems) was decorated with colors of the Marshallese flag. I'm pretty sure people just thought we were Boise State fans. :)

So much food! We had pulled pork sandwiches and many of our friends brought salads and desserts.

We had some awesome music! One of our university students served a mission in the Marshall Islands and gave us some traditional Marshallese music to play.

The balloons were a big hit with all of the kids.

The BYU-Idaho Polynesian Association were gracious enough to come and dance for us. It was so perfect! The crowd loved it and it felt so special.

They even had some audience participation!

Tyler learning the Haka. :)

We had lots of family and friends there. It was such a wonderful afternoon, and we look forward to doing it again in a few months for Hunter!