The Biit, Meri Kirimaj, 2013

Long Island Ward singing our songs for the Biit.  I played for one of the songs

Another view of our group

I played a keyboard with a sound system

Before we started we all came in doing a dance

We sang 4 songs and did a dance

President Anien led the songs:   3 Marshallese sons and Far Far Away

The younger girls dressed in black skirts and pink 
tops.  The ladies dressed in  a green and pink Marshallese dress

Elder and Sister Weir and Elder and Sister Wayas watch from the side

Sister Crane and  Sister Hu The Sisters did a Samoan Sasa

The Elders did the Samoan Slap dance

Ruby a;nd I in our matching Marshallese dresses

Sister Tofa and Me

Sister Moeai and me (She is Hopey's granddaughter)

Sister Tofa, Elder Foote, Elder Ingals, Elder Whetstone, Elder Mcomie

Sister Moeai, Sister Wayas, Sister Butler from Ajeltake Branch

Sister Moeai and Elder Sagapoulu

 Elders after doing the slap dance

Relief Society Sisters at the Biit (We sang two songs)

More RS sisters.  Rachel is a world teach teacher who is here

Anne's Grandchildren including Wilson

Anne

The Rita Ward dancing

Lena, a special needs girl who is from our ward

Kids from Rita dancing

Dancers from Delap

Rita ward performing

Kids from Rita singing and dancing

More from Rita Ward

Everyone gets involved

Delap Ward doing their walk in

People just line the stake center in several rows and others look on from the windows or doors

The Biit (or dance) is a big celebration that the Marshallese churches have on Christmas Day.  It must have got its start with the Christian Missionaries that came to the islands.  The people dress in their best clothes or matching clothes for their dances and get out and sing and dance and eat.  For the LDS Majuro Stake it is a tradition.  Each ward practices for months in advance and arrange matching clothes and spend most of their time and energy during November and December getting ready for it.  Everyone meets at the Stake Center for an opening devotional (the Broadcast from Temple Square).  Then in turn each ward does their dancing and singing.  They are allotted an hour but in year gone by, many of them have taken longer than that.  This year it did seem a little shorter.  Besides the wards, special groups also perform like the missionaries, missionary prep class, different primaries, the Stake Relief Society etc.  Towards the end, lots of the other churches come over to perform also.  Some years the Biit ends after midnight.  Each ward provides a plate lunch or food for their members.  This is how the people celebrate Christmas.  Many of them don't have presents or big parties etc., but this is very exciting for them and they love being in the songs and dances and listening and watching the others perform.