Hawaiian Lei

photo display by Reina Lopez

The traditional Hawaiian Lei  is a necklace — often a long one — of fresh flowers threaded together.  The lei is important to Hawaiians and to Hawai’i residents as a common symbol of love, friendship, celebration, honor, or greeting — in other words, it is a symbol of  the concept of “Aloha.” 

Its importance to Hawaiian culture is commemorated by the celebration of Lei Day on May first every year. The writer Grace Tower Warren was credited with the saying “Mayday is Lei Day.”  Lei Day was established as a Holiday in 1929.  At the 81st Annual Mayor’s Lei Day Celebration in 2008, Honolulu set the record for the World’s Longest Lei. Unofficially, the lei measured 5,336 feet (1,626 m) in length, more than a mile.

Leis are commonly incorporated into special occasions such a graduations, weddings or birthdays, office promotions, anniversaries, or any special event. In such cases, honorees may be almost buried in flowers (example at left).  Women may also wear shorter circlets of flowers as headdresses or bracelets.

Specific types of leis may be associated with particular events or celebrations, and leis need not be made with just flowers and leaves, as seen in the example at above at right.  Kukui nuts, shells, beads, ribbons, and other media  — including artistically folded paper money — may be used. Candy leis were popular when my granddaughter graduated from high school on Maui, as in the example on the right.

Perhaps needless to say, transporting the lei tradition from tropical Hawai’i to more temperate locations can be problematic because of the seasonal lack of flowers. This means that dedicated lei-makers must be creative about using alternative materials.  Manor resident (and former Hawai’i resident) Bob Ichimura and others have solved the problem by creating flower substitutes from colorful ribbons.  Some of Bob’s ribbon lei creations are shown below.

Bob Ichimura’s Lei

One final note: you don’t need a special event; a lei can be worn for no other reason than to enjoy the fragrance, take pleasure in the beautiful flowers, or simply, to celebrate the “Aloha Spirit.”