The story
Moso'oi Festival of Arts and Humanities in Utulei/Pago Pago area
A month-long October arts and culture program across the Pago Pago area, named for the moso'oi flower that traditionally welcomes the annual palolo harvest. Distinct strands include an art gala, an open-mic night, a three-day fashion show, a high school dance competition, and a closing scholarship pageant, organized by a local nonprofit with government support.
The moso'oi flower is small, bright yellow and intensely fragrant, and in Samoan tradition it is used to welcome the palolo, the prized marine worm that surfaces off the coast each October; American Samoa's month-long arts festival takes its name and symbolism directly from that flower and its role marking the season.