Lei Day

1927 

This was the year 

the first Lei Day was celebrated.

  Now, there is a Lei Queen

 and her court

and Lei day has become

 a large celebration. 

Lei Day became an official holiday

 in Hawaii in 1929

and has been celebrated

enthusiastically ever since. 

 Lei is a Hawaiian word

and means garland or wreath. 

Now, we hear the word lei

and we imagine

 a bundle of flowers,

tied together into a necklace. 

 I didn’t realise,

but there are some rules

 about accepting leis –

ok, not rules...

but customs... 

Today, many people receive a kiss

 when they are given a lei. 

(Traditionally, a bow

would have been exchanged

instead of a kiss.) 

Don’t refuse a lei

or take the lei off

while the person who gave it to you

 is still there –

bad luck, if you do!...

Pregnant women are given

an open lei... 

(A closed lei represents

the umbilical cord wrapped

 around the baby’s neck) 

 If you have an allergy

or are a keen guitarists

and run the risk of chocking

when the lei and the guitar strap

become entangled...  

 the lei will not

be placed around the neck. 

 It will, instead, be hung –

pride of place,

on a music stand or the guitar... 

 And, when you leave the resort –

 what should you do with your lei? 

 Throw it away? 

 No! 

Leis should be returned

to the place they came from...

 or, at the very least,

they should be hung

on a tree,

buried or burned. 

(The lei represents love

and you can’t throw

love away...

and yet, you can burn it...)

I remember making chains

from clover flowers...

I wonder if,

technically,

 they are leis...

Maybe I should make one

to celebrate Lei Day today.

Photos from here, here and here.

Information from here.