About the Hilo Lei Day Festival

May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi, and after taking off 2020 due to COVID-19, the Hilo Lei Day Festival returns to Kalākaua Park. The celebration, always on 1 May, will be on Saturday in 2021. It is free and open to the public.

We begin with a re-dedication of Kalākaua Park at 10:30 am, officiated by Kahu Moses Crabbe. Those attending are asked to distance on the sidewalk surrounding the park, and then when the lei at each side are untied, to enjoy a walk through the park, the lei making demonstrations, the music and hula, and the lovingly re-set stonework. Entry is on the Kalākaua Street side and the exit is on the Waiʻanuenue Avenue side of the restored 1930s hewn lava rock walkway.

The Historic Hawaiʻi Foundation funded restoration of the 1930s stonework in the park, including removing the sod which had grown over the stone paving, resetting pōhaku (stones) which had become loose and been dislodged, re-sodding areas which had eroded, and finding a place for the standing water to go. Much of the  labor was provided by youth volunteers.

The restoration also included replacing the informational plaque which had been torn from its stand.

The opening ceremony is at 11:00 am. The festival ends at 2:00 pm.

This year will be unique in that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only 10 visitors at a time will be able to join the entertainment and demonstrations within the park at any given time. To enable as many people as possible to participate, visitors are asked to enter at the Kalākaua Street end of the newly refurbished stone walkway and exit at the Waiʻanuenue Avenue end.

Event coordinator Leilehua Yuen says, “one of the advantages of floating across the week is that over the years, everyone has a chance to come, including people who work on weekends. It also is nice for the passengers of ships which come in during the week. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance at the park is limited. But, we would love to have you join us on-line! Either watch our videos on lei making and hula of the lei, or make your own! #HiloLeiDayFestival2021.

As a community-based event, it’s ideal for homeschool families to participate in or attend. Yuen says, “It’s a wonderful way to incorporate Hawaiian history, culture, and arts into a homeschool curriculum. The cost of different activities and materials varies, though a lot is free, as we did get funding from the Hawaiʻi Tourism Authority through the Kukulu Ola program and local businesses. ”

“There are so many styles of lei that we are still looking for people who want to demonstrate lei making, and training is on-going. So, if you have always wanted to learn to make lei, come join us for the training sessions, and then kōkua at the festival, after all, the best way to learn is to teach!” Yuen says.

While they are very limited at this time, the festival also supports lei-related workshops and other events throughout most years. Sign up for our mailing list for more information!

For more information on how to participate visit LeiDay.org, e-mail info@LeiDay.org, or phone 1(707)203-2882.

Lei Uala
The lei uala is worn by nursing mothers to encourage milk flow.

“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.” ~Kumu Leilehua Yuen

The theme for our Lei Day festival is “He Mo`olelo kō 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.

Hawaiian culture, through most of our history, was transmitted through oral tradition. Much of our heritage was preserved in storytelling. When we lose the stories, we lose a lot of who we are as a people. Who knows the story of Hi`iakaikapua`ena`ena? She was a critical figure in Pele’s journey to Hawai`i. She prepared the `awa for the protocols, she helped guide the family’s journey by reading the clouds, she brought the seeds and cuttings for plants we use today in lei making and medicine – which are far more interrelated than most people realize. She is a healer, the goddess of lei making, and a guide to travelers lost in the wilderness – an ever-present danger to those who make their living going out and harvesting the wild plants for lei. This festival, among other things, seeks to share her story.

Aunty nona Beamer
Hilo Lei Day Festival co-founder Nona Beamer at the 2005 celebration at Wailoa Art Center, Hilo.

“He Moʻolelo Kō ka Lei” was co-founded in 2005 by Kupuna Winona “Aunty Nona” Beamer and Leilehua Yuen. It began as a multi-media art show which depicted the story of the lei from different perspectives, incorporating storytelling, Hawaiian astronomy, the huakaʻi of Hiʻiakaikapuaʻenaʻena, goddess of lei making, and many other aspects not usually presented today. The show ran for the month of April, and culminated in a Lei Day celebration on May 1. The project has continued in one form or another since that time.

Some years it has been a very simple affair – a month of lei-making classes culminating in a ceremony offering hoʻokupu for the gift of lei. Other years it has been an elaborate event with lei making classes throughout the preceeding year to train volunteers, a May 1 celebration, and a month of lei making.

In 2007, Mayor Harry Kim re-instituted the Hilo Lei Day Festival proclamation. Except for 2020, a proclamation has been issued by Hilo’s mayor each year since, declaring “May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi,” and “May is the the Month of the Lei.” The Hilo Lei Day Festival is essentially a hōʻike for traditional Hawaiian lei makers to show their artistry.

All He Moʻolelo Kō ka Lei and Hilo Lei Day Festival activities have been green programs, and most have been zero waste, or close to zero waste.


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