‘A’ai – Bright or vivid, as when colors contrast with each other. For example, when a yellow feather lei is worn on a black velvet holokū (traditional Hawaiian gown), the feathers appear more bright and lustrous, and the velvet appears more dark and rich.
Learn more lei-making terms with Hua ʻŌlelo Lei, a Lei Maker’s Glossary, available for only 99 cents on Amazon.
Do you know who these ladies are, and the occasion for the parade? Let us know at our FaceBook page!
We are moving into the modern world! We’ve changed our banner text from an 1850 font to 1930! Next thing you know, we’ll install one of those new-fangled computing machines!
Mahalo for all your years of service, Old Font!
There are many ways to support
Hilo’s Lei Day Festival
*Before the Festival*
Help Promote
Tweet about it on Twitter
Like and Share on FaceBook
Tell Friends
Help make Posters and Banners
*Help make Lei to Share*
Tī Leaf Lei can be made and Frozen
Ribbon Lei last Forever
Do You have Shell and Kukui Lei You don’t use?
Donations are appreciated!
*Purchase Festival Goodies*
Logowear
Greeting Cards
Books
&
Other Items Advertised on the Site
*During the Festival*
Demonstrate Lei Making
Play Music
Dance Hula
Be an Ambassador of Aloha
*After the Festival*
Help to Clean Up
Help to Write Mahalo Letters
Help Update the Website
Help Create the Next Festival
Do you have an idea for how to support the Hilo Lei Day Festival?
E-mail
info@LeiDay.org
Traditional chants and modern songs tell about the lei, children are named for lei, and no occasion is complete without them.
More than flowers on a string, lei are an important part of Hawaiian cultural heritage, and the vocabulary of the lei informs much of Hawaiian poetry, philosophy, and world view. In this month’s Ma Lalo o ka Pō Lani evening cultural program, Leilehua Yuen, author of Hua ʻŌlelo Lei, talks about the literal and symbolic language of the lei, as well as how the lei is a metaphor for the ecosystem of Hawaiʻi.
She and her husband Manu Josiah also will share stories, chants, songs, and hula of the lei, Hawai`i’s iconic garland.
This Saturday’s program begins at 6:00 pm in the Presentation Room of the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station / Onizuka Center for International Astronomy. Phone: (808) 961-2180 Fax: (808) 969-4892
After this one hour program, please join the star party at the visitor center!
Each month, Hawaiian Cultural Practitioners share perspectives on an aspect of Hawaiian culture, history, and or arts relating to the natural history of Maunakea. The “Malalo o ka Po Lani” cultural program is held on the fourth Saturday of every month in the Ellison Onizuka Center for International Astronomy Visitor Information Station’s presentation room at the 9,300 ft elevation on Mauna Kea. For more information on programs at the Mauna Kea Visitor Information Station please visit our web site: www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis or call us at (808) 961-2180.
Please feel free to share this e-mail with anyone you think may be interested!
Mahalo and aloha!
Image of Kaʻula Island by Xpda
We are so blessed to have such an abundance of flowers here in Hawaiʻi. Just in my own little yard, I am able to grow a variety of orchids. This month, so many of my little orchid babies have bloomed, I thought I would take some photos and share them with you!
The Hilo Orchid Society has information on how to grow these beauties.
“A lei is not just flowers strung on a thread. A lei is a tangible representation of aloha in which symbols of that aloha are carefully sewn or woven together to create a gift. This gift tells a story of the relationship between the giver and the recipient. many things can make up a lei. One can string flowers, seeds, shells, or berries into a lei. One can weave vines and leaves into a lei. One can weave words into a poem or song, which is then a lei. The ultimate expression of a lei is kamalei – the child which represents the intertwining of aloha between the parents.”
The theme for our Lei Day festival is “He Mo`olelo ko ka Lei,” A Story of the Lei. This theme was selected to help us to remember that each lei tells a story, perhaps of farewell, of return, or a job well done. . . but always, the story is of love.
The Hilo Lei Day Festival is held on May 1 at Kalākaua Park in Downtown Hilo.
Please check back frequently, as we will be adding much more to our site!
