Samoa skips Friday in time zone change

Updated December 31, 2011 01:18:52

Samoa has taken a leap into the future by shifting its time zone forward by 24 hours to bring itself in line with Australia and New Zealand.

The Samoan clock has now been reset, wiping Friday December 30 off the calendar and sending the country straight into Saturday.

Samoans cheered, sirens wailed and fireworks exploded in the skies as the change took place at midnight on Thursday (local time).

The shift from the eastern to the western side of the international dateline means Samoa has gone from being the last country to ring in the New Year to being the first.

Prime minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi says the time zone change will take the country into a more prosperous future by bringing it into line with its major trading partners.

"It feels very great. Especially we have just finished our ceremony which formally signals the changing of our time zone," he said.

"It's been attended by a lot of our dignitaries. We all feel very happy."

The president of the Samoan Chamber of Commerce, Sami Leota, says most Samoans welcome the change.

"I've seen a few, one or two people, that were in the paper who were saying they're going to miss their birthdays, but I think it's also something for them to remember," he said.

"It's going to be very historical. There's some disruption, there's some small effects to it, but if you look at the overall picture of the change, I think the community in general is accepting this."

Samoan businessman Rico Tupai was among those who were excited by the shift.

"On our Friday, which is already the weekend in Australia and New Zealand, we send emails across and we have enquiries and we have no answers," he said.

"And when answers come back from Australia and New Zealand it's our Sunday - time we spend with our families.

"So we're looking forward to it, it will be a very positive change for Samoa."

Samoa is now one hour ahead of Wellington and three ahead of Sydney.

The switch reverses a decision made 120 years ago to move to the east of the international dateline because most of Samoa's trade at the time was with the United States and Europe.

Guests staying in Samoa's hotels this week will not be expected to pay for a day that does not exist, but employers must still pay staff for the Friday that never was.

This is not the first significant change Mr Tuilaepa has introduced to Samoa, after switching driving from the right side of the road to the left in 2009 to bring the country in line with Australia and New Zealand.

His next target is changing Samoa's flag, a relic of the colonial era, but he has not yet disclosed what will be on the new flag.

ABC/AFP

Topics: human-interest, samoa, pacific

First posted December 30, 2011 22:03:33