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Party Theme
MERRIE MONARCH FESTIVAL - Easter
HAWAIIAN LEI DAY - May 1st
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The world's premiere hula event, the Merrie Monarch Festival, happens every year in Hilo. This week-long celebration of the ancient art of the hula happens every Easter but halau (hula schools) from every island and the mainland practice year-round for the event. This moving expression of music, dance, and storytelling is part of a local renaissance perpetuating the culture of the Hawaiian people.
"May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii," an old saying goes, and every day in Hawaii is filled with flower lei, the fragrant symbol of aloha.
In ancient times, like today, the lei was also a symbol of affection and esteem. Hawaiians used rare feathers for royal regalia in much the same way other cultures used precious gems and metals. Hulu, Hawaiian for “feather/plumage,” also means “choice and precious” and, at a symbolic level, stands for an esteemed kupuna (elder). In conversational usage, hulu kupuna -- literally “feather elder” -- means “precious elder.” This symbolism likely had great bearing on the high value placed on featherwork in old Hawaii.
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Back then, only royalty and nobility wore feather accoutrements -- capes, helmets, lei and hair ornaments -- because feathered objects were considered sacred. The fabrication process was also sacred. Religious and royal icons were crafted from feathers which were painstakingly collected and prepared. Kahili (feathered standards), for example, were used to announce the arrival of chiefs and kings. Some objects took the work of several generations to complete.
Featherwork evolved to a very high art form in ancient Hawaii. A spiritual sense, or mana, was transferred into a piece of featherwork throughout its making, and eventually conferred on its user. This resulted in pieces becoming highly prized for the mana they contained. In a similar way, today's feather lei-maker gives of his/herself in the making of a feather piece.
During the 19th Century, fabrication of feather objects virtually ceased, largely because their sacred contexts were overshadowed by the influx of Western ideas, especially Christianity.
But the crafting of lei hulu (feather garlands) continued, and though they have moved out of the sacred realm, lei hulu still flourish as a symbol of esteem and aloha, as prized today as in yesteryear.
Throwing an Hawaiian Luau is the perfect way to celebrate Hawaiian Lei Day, and you are just a click away from finding all of the perfect decorations for your celebration. Colorful silk flower leis,
fern leaf hula skirts, scene setters and table accessories can be found in our online party store.
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