http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/programs/leiday/index1.htm

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The City & County invites EVERYONE to the FREE 79th annual LEI DAY CELEBRATION on Monday, May 1st, Kapiolani Park Bandstand, 9am-5:30pm. The most gorgeous leis in the world are on view noon-5:30pm. Royal Hawaiian Band 9am, Lush Lei Queen Crowning Ceremonyat 11am, Ho'onua & Kapena, hula & Hawaiian music, steel guitar, arts & crafts demonstration and exhibit, lei & food booths all day.
Tues. May 2nd at Mauna Ala (Royal Mausoleum, 2261 Nu'uanu Avenue) 8:30am lei are laid on grass for up-close and personal inspection. A short ceremony (9am) ends with participants draping lei on tombs of Alii. Complete Schedule: www.honoluluparks.com (Lei Day), jgere@honolulu.gov, (808)692-5751
Please plan to come to both- and wear a lei.
                 photo by Lea
The culmination of the May Day festivities will be at the Waikiki Shell at Queen Kapiolani park where the amazing Brothers Cazimero headline a concert in honor of this local holiday. Join thousands of fans ready to celebrate hula, Hawaiian music, and Aloha. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for picnics on the lawn. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.com and the entire day is sponsored by the City and County of Honolulu. Call 808-692-5118 or check out www.honolulu.gov/parks/programs/leiday/index.htm for more information.

 

"May Day is Lei Day in Hawai'i" Celebrated the whole month of May. Also Happy Mother's Day (ah o na Makuahini)

The Hawaiian Islands have always been known for their open-armed friendliness, welcoming guests with garlands/necklaces made of flowers bestowed on the recipient with a traditional kiss. Visitors leaving the Islands, toss their leis onto the harbor waters. The leis eventually drift to shore symbolizing that the visitor will someday return"May Day is Lei Day in Hawai'i" -- it's a song and a custom and a festival. In Hawai'i on the first of May, everyone wears flowers, schools stage pageants and give prizes, contests are held for the most beautiful lei or garland, a Queen is crowned, competitions in both ancient and modern hula are held and popular entertainers give a concert or show for the locals. The festivities continue throughout the Islands for the month, with each island having its own style of lei: The first Lei Day was in 1927 and celebrated in downtown Honolulu with a few people wearing leis.  From that it grew as more people began to wear leis on May 1.  We were told that the first celebration and exhibit of leis was at the Bank of Hawaii. In 1928,

Hawaii - lehua blossoms from the `ohi`a lehua tree which grows on the slopes of the volcanoes on the Big Island. The blossoms are red, white, yellow and orange, are said to be sacred to Pele, the goddess of volcanoes.

Kauai - mokihana, purplish berries with a scent of anise from a tree found only on Kauai, are strung like beads.

Kaho'olawe - hinahina, the stems and flowers of this silver gray plant found on the beaches of Kaho`olawe, are braided together to form a lei.

Lanai - kaunaoa, light orange thread-like strands of this parasitic vine are twisted together to form the lei.

Maui - lokelani blossom known as the pink "rose of heaven" is used.

Molokai - kukui or candlenut tree leaves, white flowers and nuts are braided together to make the lei.

Ni'ihau - pupu shells found along the shoreline of this island are strung to make the lei.

O'ahu - `ilima, delicate, thin yellow-orange blossoms with a velvety texture traditionally thought of as the Royal Leis as at one time only high chiefs wore them.

The origin of the festival is credited to a poet and artist named Don Blanding who in 1928 noticed that most of the flower lei were being distributed at the Aloha Tower pier where boatloads of tourists were arriving on what they called "Boat Day."
Lei Day, a celebration of life with hula and song, is dedicated to the lei as a symbol of Hawaiian beauty and culture. With the spirit and special blessings of Aloha, the giving of a lei, accompanied by a kiss on the cheek, speaks of the island philosophy of kindness and love. A lei given sings of special relationships, deep feelings and emotions. A necklace of flowers that vibrate welcome, a precious thank you, and a magical gift from the heart.

Wildflowers don't care where they grow. ~ Dolly Parton

Flowers are angels rooted in soil. ~ Alexander Stoddard

The Aloha Spirit Law  is an ACTUAL law "on the books" in Hawai`i, encoded in the Hawai`i Revised Statutes, section and acknowledges that The Aloha Spirit "was the working philosophy of native Hawaiians and was presented as a gift to the people of Hawai`i."

Aloha~

• Akahai, [ah kah hai'] meaning kindness to be expressed with tenderness;

• Lôkahi, [LOH' kah hee] meaning unity, to be expressed with harmony;

• `Olu`olu, [oh' loo oh' loo] meaning agreeable, to be expressed with pleasantness;

• Ha`aha`a, [hah' ah hah' ah] meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty;

• Ahonui, [ah hoh nui'] meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.

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  • Aloha is more than a word of greeting or farewell or a salutation.
  • Aloha means mutual regard and affection and extends warmth in caring with no obligation in return.
  • Aloha is the essence of relationships in which each person is important to every other person for collective existence.
  • Aloha means to hear what is not said, to see what cannot be seen and to know the unknowable.

   

The magic of aloha is contagious. Each day, the key is to "Live Aloha:" Help anonymously. Forgive hurts. Keep every agreement made. Give and share freely. Judge yourself, not others. Slow down and spend time in silence.

Listen... understand... and Live Aloha.