We just found a whole collection of videos in a hidden corner of YouTube! Oh, my!
This is the trailer which was created to promote our project to document the many traditional lei of Hawaiʻi.
Category: Hawaiian Lei
Demonstrator Guidelines
Aloha kākou!
So, you have an educational activity you’d like to share at the Hilo Lei Day Festival? We are so thrilled that you would like to join us! There is no charge for individuals or groups who would like to share something that supports the mission of He Moʻolelo Kō ka Lei and the Hilo Lei Day Festival. You do need to bring your own tent and materials, however.
Each demonstrator will be approved on a case-by-case basis. In addition to lei making, over the years we have had demonstrators share things such as palm frond basket weaving, kōnane, hula, hula implements, and lau hala weaving.
Environmental groups, such as Recycle Hawaiʻi also have participated and shared their manaʻo.
Following are our basic guidelines:
- Demonstrators shall wear aloha attire and lei, and are encouraged to participate in the group hula and singing, and encourage nearby visitors to do the same
- There is no fee for demonstration booths which do not sell a product or service.
- Demonstrator locations are determined by the organizers of the event.
- Demonstrators may begin setting up any time after noon on 30 April, but must provide their own security for the night. Demonstrators must provide their own tents, tables, chairs. There is no electrical power to any of the spaces.
- Demonstrators must be ready by 8:30 am on 1 May
For more information, and for applications, e-mail us at info@LeiDay.org
You can also help to support the Hilo Lei Day Festival, and help to preserve and perpetuate the language of the lei, through your purchase of Hula ʻŌlelo Lei – A Lei Maker’s Glossary. Only 99 cents, because we want this valuable information to be as widely available as possible, but even tiny donations add up to big results!
Radio Interview with The Wave!
So excited to be heading to TheWave@92FM for an interview about #TheHiloLeiDayFestival!
Mahalo nui loa to our sponsors and supporters!
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Check us out on:
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/hiloleidayfestival/
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Hawaiian Word of the Day: Welo
Welo – Ribbons or streamers attached to the lei to flutter for a decorative effect. Welo are often incorporated into the ties for lei po’o worn in pageantry, such as those worn by pā’ū riders in parades.
Like and follow our page for updates on classes, workshops, and events, and support us by purchasing “Hua ʻŌlelo Lei – A Lei Maker’s Dictionary.”
Word of the Day: Wehi
WEHI – Decoration, ornament. A corsage, boutonniere, or hair ornament. Older and less common usage today, a lei.
The Hilo Lei Day Festival is a great place to purchase wehi, or learn to make them!
Like and follow our page for updates on classes, workshops, and events, and support us by purchasing “Hua ʻŌlelo Lei – A Lei Maker’s Dictionary.”
Merrie Monarch, Das Why
Aloha from the Hilo Lei Day Festival! #MerrieMonarchDasWhy
Word of the Day: Wiliwili
wiliwili – Erythrina sandwicensis. A native tree. The seeds are used to make lei. The wood was occasionally carved into lei niho palaoa.
Your purchase of Hua ʻŌlelo Lei – A Lei Maker’s Glossary supports the educational programs of He Moʻolelo Hō ka Lei and the Hilo Lei Day Festival.
#Mahalo #HawaiiTourismAuthority #HTA #KukuluOla #HiloLeiDayFestival#HawaiianDictionary #LeiDictionary #HawaiianLanguage #OleloHawaii
#PlantNative
Word of the Day: Pāpale
Your pāpale [paah-pah-leh] is your hat. A lei pāpale is a lei you wear on your hat. It might be a lei haku, a lei wili, a lei humu papa, or any other style. But if it is on your hat, it also is a lei pāpale!
#Mahalo #HawaiiTourismAuthority #HTA #KukuluOla #HiloLeiDayFestival#HawaiianDictionary #LeiDictionary #HawaiianLanguage #OleloHawaii
Word of the Day: ʻOhuʻohu
‘Ohu’ohu – Decked out with leis. A celebration is more fun when you are ʻohuʻohu!
Like and follow our page for updates on classes, workshops, and events, and support us by purchasing “Hua ʻŌlelo Lei – A Lei Maker’s Dictionary.”
#Mahalo #HawaiiTourismAuthority #HTA #KukuluOla #HiloLeiDayFestival#HawaiianDictionary #LeiDictionary #HawaiianLanguage #OleloHawaii
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I often am asked which is a “man’s lei” and which is a “woman’s lei” to give. Well, just as Hawaiian names are non-gendered, lei are non-gendered. Give the lei that pleases the recipient. Speaking in broad generalities, a lei with pale fragrant flowers (pīkake, white or yellow ginger, gardenia, tuberose) is often selected as a gift for a woman, while a darker, less fragrant lei (cigar flower, maile, tī) is often selected for a man. But these are modern ideas brought in well after WWII. Old photos show both men and women delighting in all types of lei.
The love of beauty is part of the living heart. Male, female, or anywhere in between – we are attracted to beauty.
Once, someone e-mailed me in quite the quandary. He had been told that to show his love, he had to give his sweetheart lei pīkake for Valentine’s Day, and that the number of strands showed how much he cared for her – the more strands, the greater the love! What bunk! By that reasoning, someone who could afford 30 strands loves the girl 30 times as much as some fellow who only has a few dollars in his pocket? Ridiculous.
“No,” I replied. “To show your love, find out what lei she likes best, and then make one for her. Call the florists and find one who will teach you. Also, find out who she is most close to – her Mama? Her Tūtū Lady? Make a lei for that lady, too. When you go to pick her up for your date, give a lei to her makuahine or her tūtū first, then give her the lei you made for her. Be sure you open the car door for her and shut it gently!” I think they are still together.
So, wear and share the lei you love with joy, and share that joy with your beloved!