George Tupou I the case today. George Tupou I George Tupou I, King of Tonga (4 December 1797 – 18 February 1893) was originally known as Tāufaʻāhau I, or Tupou Maeakafa Ngininginiofolanga in modern spelling (originally Tubou Maeakafa Giniginiofolaga). He adopted the name Siaosi (originally Jiaoji), the Tongan version of "George", after King George III of the United Kingdom, when he was baptized in 1831. His nickname was "Lopa-ukamea" (or Lopa-ʻaione), meaning "iron cable". George Tupou I was born around 1797 in Tonga. 4 December is often-quoted as his birthday and is a public holiday in Tonga; however, it was the date of
George Tupou V the 19th century. The ceremony involved having "kava", hundreds of baskets of food, and seventy cooked pigs presented to the King and the assembly of chiefs and nobles, Later that night, schoolchildren held 30,000 torches to proclaim the coronation in what is known as a "tupakapakanava". The traditional torch spectacle was held that time at a spot overlooking the Pacific and is an ancient honour reserved solely for the Tongan sovereign and Royal Family. A second, European-style coronation ceremony took place on 1 August 2008 in the Centennial Chapel, Nuku’alofa. Anglican Archbishop of Polynesia Jabez Bryce invested George Tupou V