Beautiful leis for Lei day and May day celebrations

Lei day in Hawaii is a popular and fun way to cherish someone you love and care for with a beautiful lei, usually hand-made personally from the giver. There are many Lei Day celebrations occuring throughout the various islands of Hawaii on this day to commemorate this wonderful sharing of a lei.

Leis were used regularly by the early Polynesians and settlers to the Hawaiian islands to honor their gods by twining greens into wreaths and making these as offerings. They also used the wreaths and flowered lei made of fragrant ginger blooms to decorate and adorn their bodies. Other fragrant greens used included maile and hala leaves which were used extensively to celebrate various rites, special occasions and daily wear.

This concept of giving a lei was then popularized with the influx of tourism on the islands around the 19th and 20th century. Presenting a lei during the arrival or departure of a love one was communicated as a sign of affection and aloha and still is used currently as a symbol of affection.

Leis are now made with different and aromatic flowers to include plumeria, jasmine, ginger, roses, gardenias, tuba rose and scented orchids to create aromatic scents and beautiful displays. Every flower and color is used now with different types of materials, seeds, shells and other greenery to create different looks and texture.

(A gorgeous tutu or grandmother wears and elaborate collection yellow, orange and red flowered leis at a hula performance in Hawaii)

Greenery leis above include greens of maile, ferns and seeds or pods, along with a very thick and aromatic plumeria lei above. Hula performances are typical of when leis are made fresh and used for adornment for a particular function or hula performance.

Even leis are made to adorn horses in many of the annual parades throughout the islands. Here leis elaborate leis are created for the horse and pau rider for the annual Merrie Monarch parade.


Lei day celebrations today in East Hawaii are marked with lei and craft demonstrations, live music and performances and other festivities celebrating this well loved tradition. It seems so appropriate for the first day of May to celebrate spring and a beautiful day by making a lei and giving to someone special in your life..

©Noel Morata, All rights reserved

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May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii

 

Wearing or making leis today is special as the first day in May is our lei day and lei celebrations happen throughout the islands.

 

There are so many different types of leis from very simple strands to very elaborate displays.

 

Of course, the scented leis like the plumerias below just add to the special feeling and smell of wearing one of these beautiful leis today.

 

 

Orchid leis below are made with many flowers and are colorful and dramatic to wear.

 

Its fun to have events and tokens to celebrate days like Lei Day in Hawaii. Have a great May lei day!

Beautiful

 Making leis is a beautiful craft and at the yearly Merri Monarch Festival celebrating all things hula, the craft shows are lined with master crafters that make spectacular leis

Usually in the front of the craft centers these amazing crafters lure their audience with dazzling arrangements, colors and did I mention the heavenly scents.

The middle lei, filled with jasmine and gardenia....can you smell the sweet scents?


 

A beautiful lei made completely with natural fibers and plant materials, none of these are died materials.

Here's a whole collection just displayed as a whole, the colors are really amazing to see.

This piece just draws you in completely.




 

Each piece is truly a work of art and something worth wearing if only for the rest of this exciting week.

 

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The tough decision is always to choose which one you would like to wear for these events.

Aren't these amazing, hope you enjoyed them.

This is my contribution to scenic sundays come and visit http://scenicsunday.blogspot.com/

May Day is Lei Day In Hawaii Island

Happy May Day and also Lei Day ....this beautiful annual celebration that happens throughout hawaii and was started in 1928 to celebrate the tradition of making and giving leis to friends and family.

Today we celebrate spring, colors, flowers and sharing our aloha with leis.

Celebrations happen throughout the islands and here in Hawaii there are many festivals arranged to cover this wonderful celebration including demonstrations, lei competitions, craft shows, hula and many other festivities.

One of my favorites is going to the Palace Theater in Hilo and a whole day celebration at Kalakaua Park in Hilo filled with many events celebrating this tradition.

Here is a calendar of events for Lei Day, http://www.leiday.net/