Lei Day in Kauai

The Winter Constellations are setting.

I am writing this on May 1, Lei Day in Hawaii.

The holiday was first celebrated in 1928. It is a day of celebration rather than a holiday, recognizing and celebrating the Hawaiian custom of giving and receiving lei. The idea for Lei Day came from poet Don Blanding, often referred to as the poet laureate of Hawaii.

We celebrated Lei Day by making some lei and visiting the Lei Contest and Silent Auction at the Puna Ballroom of the Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort. What fun!

There were perhaps 3 dozen of us who, for a donation of $5, were taught how to make a lei.

We were given a long threaded needle, then we sat at a table and selected flowers from boxes of blooms, threading them one at a time.

Here is a short video of the lei making room:

Next door was the competition exhibition and silent auction.

The lei bottom right were the ones we did, as I am sure you could tell! The professional lei were amazing.

The Royal Sonesta Kaua’i Resort which hosted the event is a really really nice high end resort.

I believe this lady was one of the winning artists. Next year we hope to attend the awards ceremony. There is a silent auction for the lei!

The information we had from the internet suggested the event was at the Kauai Museum. So we went there first. It is a wonderful little museum, and I will cover it in an upcoming journal. The people everywhere here on Kauai are so friendly and welcoming, in the Aloha Spirit.

Aloha Oe
It's more than just an easy word for casual good-bye;
It's gayer than a greeting and it's sadder than a sigh;
It has the hurting poignancy, the pathos of a sob;
It's sweeter than a youthful heart’s exquisite joyous throb;
It's all the tender messages that words can not convey;
It's tears unshed, and longing for a loved one gone away;
It's welcome to Hawaii and it's lingering farewell;
It's all the dear and silent things that lover's lips can tell;
It's woven into flower leis and old Hawaiian songs;
It's frailer than a spider-web and strong as leather thongs;
It's fresh as dew on ginger blooms and older than the moon;
It's in the little lullabys that native mothers croon;
It's said a hundred different ways, in sadness and in joy;
Aloha means "I love you," so I say "Aloha Oe."

Don Blanding, 1894-1957. Allpoetry.com

Last night the sky was clear as we watched the winter constellation Orion set in the west.

One of Orion’s two hunting dogs, Canis Major, was faithfully following him to the west:

Sirius, the brightest star in the sky and just slightly obscured by whisp of cloud above, marks the eye of Canis Major. You can’t miss it in the evening as the sky darkens.

Hope you have clear skies and flowers wherever you may be! Aloha Oe!