8th Annual
Lei Day
Celebration
1 May 2012
Hilo, Hawai`i
East Hawai`i Cultural Center
A
Zero Waste
Event
through kokua of
Recycle Hawai`i
Mahalo to:
Co-Sponsor
East Hawai`i
Cultural Center
Kokua
BIMA
Big Island Music Awards
HARA
Hawai`i Academy
of
Recording Artists
Na Hoku
Hanohano
-
Mahalo for supporting Moku Hawai`i musicians
Kokua
Shipman
Self Storage
Kamana Senior Center
Japanese Dancers
Featured Lei Demonstrator
Randy Lee
Featured Lei Demonstrator
Aunty Elaine Inouye
Lei Hulu
Kristine Kubat
of
Recycle Hawai`i
Lei Hana Hou
(Lei from Recycled Materials)
Vendors
Become a Vendor
Now taking reservations for 2013
Lei Day Music
Learn melodies, lyrics, and hulas!
"He Mo`olelo ko ka Lei"
The Lei Stand
Calendars
Greeting Cards
Books
Her Floral Majesty,
2012 Lei Day Queen Hokulani Fo,
invites you to attend the Lei Day festivities taking place
Lei Day, 1 May 2012,
from
10:00 am – 3:00 pm
in
Downtown Hilo
at the
East Hawai`i Cultural Center
Throughout the Day
FREE
* Art Show & Lei Display *
* Lei Demonstrations *
* Music * Hula * Storytelling *
* Food Vendors * Craft Vendors *
Her Floral Majesty
Hokulani Fo
2012 Lei Day Queen
Enjoy a day celebrating the history, heritage,
and culture of the lei!
"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."
The theme for our Lei Day festival is "He Mo`olelo ko 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.
May
the
Month of the Lei
Calendar
Activities in Hilo and on Hawaii Island
Are you looking for tours of Hawai`i? Click here!
Tuesday, May 1; Hilo; East Hawai`i Cultural Center;
May Day is
Lei Day in Hawai`i!:
Join the fun at the 8th annual He Mo`olelo o ka Lei celebration of Hawai`i's "garlands of
aloha." Event begins at 10:00 am with the decorating of the kuahu lei for Kuku`ena, goddess of lei making. 11:00 am is the reading of the Mayor's proclamation declaring May 1 "Lei Day in
Hawai`i County" and "May the Month of the
Lei in Hawai`i County." Free event.
Call
895-0850 or e-mail
Info@LeiDay.net for more information.
Wednesday, May 2; Hilo; Palace Theater; Hawai`iana Live! He Mo`olelo o ka Lei - "A Story of the Lei": Learn about the lei, so emblematic of Hawai`i. This week, Leilehua and Manu share the meaning of the lei in Hawaiian culture, and a video on the lei la`i. Hawai`iana Live! is now in its sixth year, providing a different program each Wednesday, following the changing Hawaiian seasons, exploring different aspects of Hawaiian history and natural history. Rick Mazeraski opens the show with the resounding strains of the Palace Theater's vintage pipe organ. Quack Moor shares a bit of the history of Hilo's historic Palace Theater before introducing the Palace Theater’s cultural practitioners, Leilehua Yuen and Manu Josiah as they use hula, chant, story, and song to depict the history and culture of Hawai`i. Each Wednesday at 11:00 am in the Palace Theater, 38 Haili St. Hilo. $5 general admission. Keiki under 12 free. For more information, on the theater and the show, call 934-7010.
Wednesday, May 8; Hilo; Palace Theater; Hawai`iana Live! He Mo`olelo o ka Lei - "A Story of the Lei": Learn about the lei, so emblematic of Hawai`i. This week, Leilehua and Manu share the meaning of the lei in Hawaiian culture, and a video on the crafting of the lei. Hawai`iana Live! is now in its sixth year, providing a different program each Wednesday, following the changing Hawaiian seasons, exploring different aspects of Hawaiian history and natural history. Rick Mazeraski opens the show with the resounding strains of the Palace Theater's vintage pipe organ. Quack Moor shares a bit of the history of Hilo's historic Palace Theater before introducing the Palace Theater’s cultural practitioners, Leilehua Yuen and Manu Josiah as they use hula, chant, story, and song to depict the history and culture of Hawai`i. Each Wednesday at 11:00 am in the Palace Theater, 38 Haili St. Hilo. $5 general admission. Keiki under 12 free. For more information, on the theater and the show, call 934-7010.
Sunday, May 12; Ka`u; Pahala Community
Center;
Ka`u Coffee
Festival celebrates the rich history and traditions of the coffee
farmers of Ka`u. 9am to 4pm at the Pahala Community Center in Pahala, Hawai'i.
Wednesday, May 16; Hilo; Palace Theater; Hawai`iana Live! He Mo`olelo o ka Lei - "A Story of the Lei": Learn about the lei, so emblematic of Hawai`i. This week, special guests Stan Kaina and Pi`ilani Rodrigues join Leilehua and Manu to share the meaning of the lei in Hawaiian culture and music, and a video on the crafting of the lei. Rick Mazeraski opens the show with the resounding strains of the Palace Theater's vintage pipe organ. Quack Moor shares a bit of the history of Hilo's historic Palace Theater before introducing the Palace Theater’s cultural practitioners, Leilehua Yuen and Manu Josiah as they use hula, chant, story, and song to depict the history and culture of Hawai`i. Hawai`iana Live! is now in its sixth year, providing a different program each Wednesday, following the changing Hawaiian seasons, exploring different aspects of Hawaiian history and natural history. Each Wednesday at 11:00 am in the Palace Theater, 38 Haili St. Hilo. $5 general admission. Keiki under 12 free. For more information, on the theater and the show, call 934-7010.
Saturday, May 19; Mauna Kea; Visitor Information Station Conference Room; Malalo i ka Po Lani Culture Night; 8th Annual "I'll Weave a Lei of Stars for You" Lei Day / May the Month of the Lei presentation: Leilehua Yuen and Manu Josiah present the history, traditions and culture of the lei through story, chant, song, and hula. After the program, join the star party on the Onizuka Center lanai! For more details on this event, links for safety information, and driving, visit the Institute for Astronomy website. 6:00 pm. Free.
Wednesday, May 23; Hilo; Palace Theater; Hawai`iana Live! He Lei Hapa `ilikini- "A Half-Indian Lei": Learn about the lei, so emblematic of Hawai`i. This week, Leilehua and Manu share stories of the lei as a metaphor of the blending of peoples and cultures in Hawai`i. Rick Mazeraski opens the show with the resounding strains of the Palace Theater's vintage pipe organ. Quack Moor shares a bit of the history of Hilo's historic Palace Theater before introducing the Palace Theater’s cultural practitioners, Leilehua Yuen and Manu Josiah as they use hula, chant, story, and song to depict the history and culture of Hawai`i. Video on the crafting of the lei. Hawai`iana Live! is now in its sixth year, providing a different program each Wednesday, following the changing Hawaiian seasons, exploring different aspects of Hawaiian history and natural history. Each Wednesday at 11:00 am in the Palace Theater, 38 Haili St. Hilo. $5 general admission. Keiki under 12 free. For more information, on the theater and the show, call 934-7010.
Saturday, May 26; Kilauea; Pa Hula by the Volcano Art Center; Hula Informance: Leilehua Yuen and Manu Josiah present the history, traditions and culture of the lei through story, chant, song, and hula in this informance (informational performance) in Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park. After the program, join in the duscussion and talk-story with Manu and Leilehua, or enjoy the cultural demonstrations on the Art Gallery lanai. For more informaion, contact the Volcano Art Center,1-808-967-8222. Free, park fees apply.
Saturday-Monday, May 26, 27, 28; Hilo, Wailoa Park; Hilo Inter-Tribal Powwow and Native Heritage Days: www.HiloPowwow.com Old-style non-competition powwow. Gather on the banks of the Wailoa River for fun and fellowship. Includes artisans market. Learn more and stay updated on FaceBook.
Do you have a Lei Day or lei-related event you would like to post in our calendar? E-mail info@leiday.net.
To Face Challenge is to Grow
Six weeks before our 8th Annual Lei Day Festival we learned that 100% of our funding had been cut. Unable to pay for stages, sound systems, materials, supplies, entertainment, or even restroom facilities, the steering committee was in a quandry.
Then, Hawai`i showed what Hawai`i is all about.
This whole web page would be filled with "mahalo nui loas" and there still would not be enough bandwidth to thank all those who have stepped up to offer time, talent, supplies, and everything else it takes to put on a program like this.
As you go through the website and see the names of the various entertainers, demonstrators, "stagehands," and all the others who make a program like this happen, please know that not a single one recieved any compensation more than "mahalo nui loa for your time and aloha."
Mahalo, mahalo again and again.
Being entertainers and working people ourselves, the steering committee understands that pulling together like this, dropping everything to kokua, is huge. And so, to honor that aloha and effort, the committee is restructuring the festival business model so that the festival will become self-supporting and fiscally sustainable, providing not just a fun educational event for Moku Hawai`i, but a source of revenue for the participants and supporters.
Please show your aloha and support for the above businesses and individuals for keeping "He Mo`olelo ko ka Lei" a part of Hawai`i's calendar.
Please bear with us as we re-load the pages - check back frequently and watch us grow!