Lei Day Song Lyrics

These days we only hear the chorus of May Day is Lei Day in Hawai`i, but there was a lot more to the song when "Red" Hawk wrote it back in 1927. And, though we do it as a hula today, it was, originally, a Fox Trot! Here, ALL of the lyrics are presented for your enjoyment. To hear and see it performed, come visit our Mo`olelo o nā Lei Lei Day festival on May 1 at Kalakaua Park in Hilo, between the Downtown Post Office and the East Hawai`i Cultural Center. To learn more, please keep reading!

May Day is Lei Day in Hawai`i
words and music by "Red" Hawk
copyright 1927

Land of the flowers, of flow'ry bowers,
In her gay dress she appears
A sweet happy maid, may her dress never fade
As she carries this day through the years

Land of green mountains, gardens and fountains
Beaches of white shining sand
Where each one I see has a smile just for me
And has ready a welcoming hand

May Day is Lei Day in Hawai`i
Garlands of flowers ev'ry where
All of the colors in the rainbow
Maidens with blossoms in their hair
Flowers that mean we should be happy
Throwing aside our load of care, Oh!
May Day is Lei Day in Hawai`i
Lei Day is happy day out there.

Ok, here is a really quick recording of the lyrics. E kala mai, but no video yet, so the black screen is SUPPOSED to be there! Hopefully we can get a nice recording with the hula steps my Nana choreographed for the Hilo Women's Club performance back in the 30s or 40s.

Here is Hilo, My Home Town, by Betty Lou Yuen, with the choreography her mother, Hazel Carter Yuen, taught me in the 1970s.

In 2001, our Senator, Danial Kahikina Akaka, during a May 1 address, said, " 'May Day is Lei Day' in Hawaii. Lei Day is a nonpolitical and nonpartisan celebration. Indeed, its sole purpose is to engage in random acts of kindness and sharing, and to celebrate the Aloha spirit, that intangible, but palpable, essence which is best exemplified by the hospitality and inclusiveness exhibited by the Native Hawaiians -- Hawaii's indigenous peoples -- to all people of goodwill."

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. Once 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 o ka Lei," A Story of the Lei. This theme was selected to help us to remember that each lei tells a story.