“May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi.”
Nearly 100 years ago, poet Don Blanding and columnist Grace Tower Warren were colleagues at the “Honolulu Star Bulletin” when they established May 1 as a day devoted to celebrating the custom of giving and receiving lei. Composer Leonard “Red” Hawk and Ruth Hawk penned the song, and a beloved tradition took root across the islands in the late 1920s.
For those raised in Hawaiʻi, this time of year brings memories of climbing your Auntie’s plumeria trees—paper bag in hand—to gather enough blossoms to string a lei for your school’s May Day hula performance, plus one extra for your teacher. The sticky sap, the flakey, mossy white bark stuck to your fingers as you happily kui (string) the blossoms onto your lei needle, alongside your cousins, preparing for this special day.
Photos Courtesy of “Lei Aloha: Celebrating the Vibrant Flowers and Lei of Hawaiʻi,” by Meleana Estes
The culture of Hawaiʻi comes alive at May Day performances held at many schools throughout the state. Classes of elementary, middle and high-school students dance hulas or share chants they have learned, accompanied by Hawaiian musicians or music teachers singing or chanting along to the mele (song). The entire school then joins together in singing “Hawaiʻi Aloha.” Family and friends gather to watch, all dressed in muʻumuʻu and aloha shirts—and wearing lei too. It is festive and beautiful and filled with the fragrant undertone of plumeria lei and deep green twisted ti leaf lei.
These celebrations always feature a May Day Court as a tribute to the royal monarchy of the past. Included in the court are designated princesses representing each island. The Hawaiʻi Island princess wears lei of vibrant red lehua; the Maui princess, pink Lokelani rose; for ‘Oahu, yellow ‘ilima; for Lanaʻi, orange kaunaʻoa; for Molokaʻi, green kukui; for Kauaʻi, rare Mokihana; for Kahoolawe, gray hinahina; and lastly, for Niʻihau, delicate lei pūpū (shell lei). As these princesses glide past—accompanied by their kāhili bearers and adorned in exquisite lei and coordinating gowns—young girls look on with wonder, imagining the day they might join a May Day Court themselves.
May Day has a distinct beautiful feeling no matter which island you are on, what celebration you are attending or what age you are. The feeling is joy, excitement, pride and gratitude for being in this special place where lei are such an integral part of the culture. In Hawaiʻi, lei are made to celebrate someone, acknowledge an accomplishment, in memorial or to share appreciation. It is how we share our aloha, our love. May Day is the day to celebrate this cherished custom in Hawaiʻi.
When I was writing my book, “Lei Aloha,” I asked the beloved and revered entertainer and kumu hula (master teacher) Robert Cazimero about his favorite lei day memories. He said: “When I think of May Day, I see a big lei of people around the Waikīkī Shell, all the way out to the grass. All kinds of people. Local people, mainland people—everybody taking the opportunity to have a big party. Why? Because we all love lei. We love to make lei, wear lei and give lei.”
About Meleana Estes
Born and raised in Hawaiʻi, Meleana Estes is a lei maker, creative director, designer and the author of “Lei Aloha: Celebrating the Vibrant Flowers and Lei of Hawaiʻi” (Ten Speed Press, Penguin Random House). She shares her enthusiasm of lei through workshops, photo shoots and social media collaborations, helping to inspire a new generation of lei makers and flower shops in Hawaiʻi. Estes is also the co-founder of HIE | Heirlooms of Hawaiʻi, a fine jewelry collection inspired by the women of Hawaiʻi, past and present. She lives in Honolulu with her 13-year-old son and husband.
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