May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi... The Mauna Lani had their Lei Day Celebration on May 1. We were situated in their Hale ʻIʻike and demonstrated our various cultural arts. There were lei hulu, lei pūpū, cordage, and ulana lauhala demonstrators. I brought my current project, one can see it in the above picture foreground... the lauhala not the weaponry! lol, but I ended up talking story more than actually weaving. I wore my Nakeʻu Awai #Maui Strong dress with lei lokelani from my yard. I apologize for forgetting to take a picture. At least one can see the pāpale I wore. I heard I looked like something from the 1940s.
Mauna Lani had their silent auction lei table again this year. Employees created and donated lei that people could vote for and bid on. The proceeds were donated to charity and the lei with the most votes won a free dinner for the employee that created it. The lei were all so beautiful and many were fragrant.
Kaʻai, the Kāʻūpūlehu Cultural Center Manager, evited a bunch of us back for their Lei Day Festivity. This time, along with being able to string your own lei, they had several lei makers with beautifully crafted lei for sale. Mea lauhala, lei hulu, and jewelry were also available from pop-up shops.
Annie Kaleolani, who also works in the Kāʻūpūlehu Cultural Center, gave me a quick tour of the Center. It's a beautiful space with fine treasures. Annie is a long time familiar face at the Ka Ulu Lauhala O Kona weaving conferences too.
Raynette (right) and I in our vintage aloha wear. I'm in my #piliponoi accessories and a Royal Hawaiian dress originally blogged about here. Raynette's was a fun vintage bark cloth tagless wonder jumpsuit that matched perfectly with her puakenikeni accessories. It was a couple of lovely Lei Days enjoying like minded enthusiasts, artisans, and as Kaʻai described it, elevated aloha attire.
I confess, it feels a little weird that this time of year I'd usually be rushing to prep lau for kūkaʻa or kits for the annual Ka Ulu Lauhala O Kona weaving conference. However, this year it was pushed to mid-June to accommodate cultural practitioners participating in FestPAC (Festival of Pacific Arts & Culture). I'm still quite busy with maintaining the new kaululauhalaokona.org website and online registration though. Hopefully soon I'll be able to get to my lauhala. Happy Lei Day(s)!