Celebrate Lei Day by showing gratitude to our first responders

Nā Lei Koa (Warrior Lei) theme encourages public to make lei and display from your home

HAWAI‘I – Aloha prevails in Hawai‘i during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although efforts to combat the virus have impacted our lives in so many ways, it has not wavered the Spirit of Aloha that unites us as island residents. In fact, it has strengthened that spirit.

May Day (May 1) is still Lei Day in Hawai‘i. With the cancellation of the 93rd Annual Lei Day Celebration at Kapi‘olani Park, the Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) encourages everyone around Hawai‘i to join us in celebrating Lei Day in a new way.

DPR is proud to announce the Nā Lei Koa (Warrior Lei) theme for Lei Day, an opportunity for all island residents to display aloha and show their appreciation for the warriors battling the Coronavirus; our first responders, medical professionals, and essential workers who are keeping us safe and working hard during this global pandemic.

As part of the Nā Lei Koa theme, residents are invited to make a lei using items found in and around your home, and display it safely from your mail box (without covering your address or inhibting posatal operations), front door handle, balcony, etc. on May 1. Be sure to share your pictures of your lei on social media by using the hashtag #naleikoa and tagging DPR on @honolulu_parks, that way the whole world can experience the Spirit of Aloha. Of course, wearing a lei and giving a lei to an immediate household member is still encouraged, with respect to COVID-19 quarantine measures.

Along with showing our appreciation for those protecting us during this pandemic, the Nā Lei Koa theme also recognizes the warriors who are making sacrifices by remaining at home to prevent the spread of the virus. We all have our own kuleana (responsibility) during this challenging time. For most of us this involves staying in our homes, practicing social distancing, wearing masks while out in public, washing hands frequently, and going out only when necessary for essential needs. It is everyone’s kuleana to remember these sacrifices and think as a community during these difficult times, because we are all in this together.

The idea for the Nā Lei Koa theme was initiated by Lorraine Garnier of Kailua (Ko‘olaupoku Ahupua‘a). She collaborated with DPR Lei Day Celebration organizer, Kaiulani Kauahi, to develop this unique way of sharing the Spirit of Aloha amidst the cancellation of Hawaiian cultural events and Stay at Home Orders.

“I feel what our islands can bring and our planet need now more than ever is hope,” said Garnier. “I remember all of the times when the kindness, warmth, and spirit of our communities wrapped extreme news stories with hope through lei-making - as we joined together to lift up spirits elsewhere. I truly believe the Nā Lei Koa theme is exactly what we need across the globe. I am grateful to the Department of Parks and Recreation for helping to bring this to fruition.”

The lei is known the world over as the symbol of aloha and Hawaiian culture. Great care is taken into the gathering of the materials to make a lei. After the materials are gathered, they are prepared and then fashioned into a lei. As this is done, the mana (or spirit) of the creator of the lei is sewn or woven into it. Therefore, when you give a lei, you are giving a part of you. Likewise, as you receive a lei, you are receiving a part of the creator of the lei. Though current social distancing guidelines discourage the traditional way of giving lei, we are confident that the spirit of the day, the lei, and aloha will be felt by all during Lei Day.

Need help learning to make lei? DPR will be releasing a video soon on how to make lei using household items, and the Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts (MOCA) has begun a “Lei Making at Home” online learning experience providing step-by-step tips on how to make a variety of lei using natural materials. Check them out on MOCA’s Facebook and Instagram.

Please make sure to properly dispose of your lei following Lei Day, especially if the lei is made from non-perishable materials such and/or the lei is displayed on a mailbox. Mahalo and stay healthy.

—PAU—

*The 93rd Annual Lei Day Celebration scheduled for May 1, 2020 at Kapi‘olani Park has been cancelled due to COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Click here for more information

Monday, March 9, 2020

Ho‘omaika‘i iā ‘oukou (Congratulations) 2020 Lei Court

Jordan Kung Keonaonahiwahiwa‘okapuakenikeni‘iwili‘iameka‘u‘ilaha‘oleokalani Salis crowned as the first ever Lei King

92nd Lei Court from left to right: Joelle Lilinoe Quindica, Jordan Kung Keonaonahiwahiwa‘okapuakenikeni‘iwili‘iameka‘u‘ilaha‘oleokalani Salis, and Makanaha‘aheoanākūpuna Hillary Asako Chana Reilly

KAPOLEI – Ho‘omaika‘i iā ‘oukou (congratulations) to the 2020 Lei Court! During the Lei Court Selection Event on Saturday, Jordan Kung Keonaonahiwahiwa‘okapuakenikeni‘iwili‘iameka‘u‘ilaha‘oleokalani Salis, was crowned as the 92nd Lei King, and is joined by First Princess Joelle Lilinoe Quindica and Princess Makanaha‘aheoanākūpuna Hillary Asako Chana Reilly. Salis is officially the first King in the nearly century-long tradition of the Lei Court!

Salis is blessed with what he describes as a “short but oh so sweet” Hawaiian name which translates to “the fond fragrance of the puakenikeni blossom that embraces the beauty of the Heavens”. He is a Windward O‘ahu native currently residing in Waimānalo who enjoys time with his four siblings, all raised by his father Derek. As an avid pā‘ū rider, he has been embraced in lei-making, mele, and hula from around the islands.

Quindica started dancing hula when she was four years old, and greatly enjoys passing along her lei-making, mele (song), and hula experience to schools and at May Day programs. During her free time she enjoys playing her flute during kanikapila with her church group, staying active with her nephew and ‘ohana, and volunteering with the non-profit group Protectors of Paradise on the Leeward Coast. She is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and holds degrees from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and Chaminade.

Reilly has danced hula for most of her life, and has a profound appreciation for the forests and nature that provide not just the colorful pua for lei but also our lush landscape that maintain our aquifers. To her, lei is an expression of love and life, which demonstrates the culture of the islands, its history, and the need to perpetuate these traditions for our posterity. She is a wife and mother of two wonderful daughters.

The trio was selected as part of the Lei Court Selection Event held in the courtyard of Kapolei Hale. Along with dancing hula, each contestant was scored on lei-making, English and Hawaiian speaking, poise, and personality.

The new Lei Court will preside over the 93rd Annual Lei Day Celebration festivities, and will be the city’s Ambassadors of Aloha at a variety of public events.

The Lei Day Celebration will be held on Friday, May 1 at Kapi‘olani Park from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The theme for the celebration is Lei ‘Ili (lei of special places).

For all information about the Lei Day Celebration, Lei Court, Lei Contest, and free lei-making classes, please visit our dedicated Lei Day webpage: http://bit.ly/HonoluluLeiDay

—PAU—

Monday, October 29, 2018

Lei Day Celebration themes selected for next four years

Themes coincide with flower/plant required to be used in theme lei category of lei contest

The Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) proudly announces the Lei Day Celebration themes for the next four years. While Lei Day always occurs on May 1, no matter what day of the week, each celebration has a particular theme which coincides with a specific flower/plant that must be used in lei submitted to the theme lei category of the colorful and coveted lei contest.



In addition, prior to the Lei Day Celebration, the Lei Court is selected through an official process. Every year the three court members must fall within the particular age group for that year.



The 2019 theme is Lei Kahakai – seashore lei. The corresponding theme flower is Pōhinahina (Vitex rotundifolia). The age category for the 2019 Lei Court is 18 to 30 years of age by the date of the Lei Court Selection event held on Saturday, March 2, 2019. The other themes and age groups are as follows:

2020, Lei ‘Ili – lei of special places, Kī (Cordyline fruticosa), 31 to 45 years of age

– lei of special places, (Cordyline fruticosa), 31 to 45 years of age 2021, Lei Wao Nahele – forest lei, ‘A‘ali‘i (Dodonaea viscosa), 46 to 60 years of age

– forest lei, (Dodonaea viscosa), 46 to 60 years of age 2022, Lei Kuahiwi – mountain lei, ‘Ōhi‘a Lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha), 61 years of age and over

There are three lei contests: Hawaiian lei, youth lei, and lei lipine (ribbon, fabric, yarn lei). The lei contest rules, as well as information about upcoming free lei making workshops, will be made available to the public by mid to late December. Some of the classes may require early registration even though they are free.



We encourage all lei makers to plan out their lei garden for the next four years so that the materials are ready and available as the particular Lei Day Celebration approaches.



Please prevent the spread of Rapid ‘Ōhi‘a Death (ROD) by not transporting ‘ōhi‘a products between islands (the disease is currently found on Hawai‘i and Kaua‘i islands). Please refer to Hawai‘i Administrative Rules, Chapter 4-72, Section 13, (http://hdoa.hawaii.gov/admin-rules/) for information on quarantine restrictions on ‘ōhi‘a and ‘ōhi‘a soil from rapid ‘ōhi‘a death infested areas. For more information on ROD and how you can help prevent its spread go to: https://cms.ctahr.hawaii.edu/rod/



The first Lei Day was celebrated on May 1, 1927 with a few people wearing lei in downtown Honolulu. Over time, more and more people began to wear lei on May 1, and thus began the tradition of “May Day is Lei Day in Hawai‘i.” The first Lei Queen, Miss Nina Bowman, was crowned by Honolulu Mayor Charles Arnold in 1928.

—PAU—