The first day of May is Lei Day in Hawaii

A Royal Court presentation at a Lei Day celebration

The first of May is a celebration of lei in Hawaiian culture. In 2010, we were fortunate to observe the annual Lei Day celebration at Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club on Kauai.

We enjoyed seeing a lei competition, a royal court procession, hula and cultural presentations.

Of course, the Hawaiian lei was the feature of the celebrations. Local residents submitted their beautiful lei creations into competitions.

We learned about the the lei and how it symbolizes the connection of the giver and the receiver and to the aina (earth) as well. The symbolism is really quite beautiful.

Kapuna Janet Kahalekomo
Kupuna Janet Kahalekomo was honored with several leis.

If you visit Hawaii during Lei Day, check local papers for island events. Though Lei Day is May 1st, it may be celebrated on another day — particularly if May 1st falls on a weekday, some of the big celebrations may occur on the weekend before and after May 1st.

Here’s our video from last year’s Lei Day.

Also, please enjoy this colorful Lei Day collection of photos from this Lei Day experience.

3 comments
  1. what a beautiful, unique and interesting experience that looks like! thanks for sharing!

    1. It was really interesting.

      I wish we had smell-a-blog capabilities so that you could have enjoyed the floral lei scents. 🙂

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