Here's the real reason behind the Tongan flag bearer's body oil

Tonga’s flag bearer, Pita Nikolas Taufatofua, stole the limelight at the opening ceremony at the 2016 Olympic Games by wearing traditional island garb and plenty of body oil.

The 32-year-old teakwood athlete’s head-turning choice of attire quickly set Twitter ablaze.

But it turns out there’s more to that glistening, chiseled, drool-worthy, marvelous, ahem, where were we? There’s more to the shiny exterior than what meets the eye.

“When I was chosen as the flag bearer I wanted to wear something very special to me,” wrote Taufatofua in a Facebook post.

He goes on to explain the cultural significance behind his outfit including the much-talked-about body oil, which to be exact, was actually coconut oil.

“Coconut oil is an integral part of indigenous Oceanian body adornment,” he writes. “Typically performers apply copious amounts of coconut oils on their body as a celebration of the symmetry of the human body as well as a mark of ancestral identity.”

The coconut oil was also infused with kakala, fragrant flowers, leaves, barks from Haʻapai islands, the place of origin of his ancestors.

If you looked closely at Taufatofua, you’d also notice that he was wearing a waistcloth also known as ngatu.

“[It ]is adorned with intricate-complex geometrical designs (known as kupesi in Tongan). The designs are abstract symmetrical forms of elements (flowers, plants, marine creatures, birds) from the fonua, environment,” Taufatofua writes. “It denotes the deep spiritual oneness of Oceanians and their land.”

Other cultural elements included the Sisi Faka-Haʻapai, an ornamental waist girdle made of hibiscus fiber, and a shark tooth necklace— sharks were worshipped as ancestral gods and Tongans prayed to shark deities for protection in the ocean.

Check out his full post here and let us know what you think of Taufatofua’s outfit by tweeting us @YahooStyleCA.