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Territory prepares for Mother’s Day

reporters@samoanews.com

American Samoa joins the rest of the nation on Sunday in celebration of Mother’s Day, which was designated on the second Sunday in May each year by the US Congress, via a joint resolution approved May 8, 1914.

And many residents are hoping for good weather on Sunday after the territory has been drenched with heavy rain since early this week, especially Wednesday night into early Thursday morning. The local weather system, according to the National Weather Office in Tafuna, has nothing to do with Tropical Cyclone Ella, which on Wednesday afternoon had moved further away from the territory.

The National Weather Office is forecasting showers with east winds 10 to 15 mph for Saturday and Sunday.

There was also a flash flood warning in effect until 3p.m. yesterday. The weather office asks residents to listen to local broadcasters for the latest weather update, which is also provided online: weather.gov/ppg.

In his annual Mother’s Day message, Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga says “our mothers have been the foundation of our strength, the torch which lit and will continue to light our life’s path; our source of comfort and motivation; and the spring of love from which we have drawn from throughout our lives.”

“Mothers have been the shining example of complete devotion and their indubitable sense of sacrifice to spare us from enduring any physical or emotional pain,” he said, adding that mothers are the basis of family stability and harmony as well as the teacher and the source of our spiritual values.

Many local residents have reminded Samoa News that in some homes, there is no mother, and another person takes on the “role of mother” — for example, a single father, or an aunty, or cousin. Therefore, these individuals should also be honored and thanked on Mother’s Day.

As residents of American Samoa prepare for this special day, police call on motorists to be careful in areas where there will be a lot of pedestrian traffic, such as the Laufou Shopping Center, TSM Mart and KS Mart — as families do their last minute shopping, both for food and gifts. Police also plan to beef up road patrols to ensure a safe Mother’s Day weekend in American Samoa.

Florists are extra busy since early this week and expected to be even busier today. Samoa News contacted a few florists, who say that orders for ulas, Hawaiian ‘haku’ or ‘pale’ in Samoan, have been pouring in since last week for Mother’s Day. At least two florists visited by Samoa News on Wednesday say they received their orders from Honolulu on Monday night’s Hawaiian Airlines flight and people have already picked their special orders up.

Other orders of loose flowers, ulas and hakus, were expected on last night’s Hawaiian Air flight for pickup today. This includes stores, which have also ordered off island ulas, etc. for pick up by customers today.

Mother’s Day is also celebrated in neighboring Samoa on the same Sunday, May 14, as the territory does, only they add an extra celebratory event — a Mother’s Day holiday follows on Monday.

As in Mother’s Day in past years, many residents of the territory head to Samoa and its keeping inter Samoa flights busy.

For the local Mother’s Day to’ona’i, there are restaurants offering specials for Mother’s Day brunch — it’s Mama’s day off — no clean up, no organizing and no obligations — except to look and feel beautiful and be appreciated and loved.