Lei St.

In the ahupuaʻa of Waiākea, which lies in the moku of Hilo on the island of Hawaiʻi, stands a street which brings our attention to Hawaiʻi’s garland.

We are speaking of Lei St.

The word lei has a couple of meanings.

One is “to leap, toss,” or even “to rise, as a cloud.”

But we may be more familiar with lei meaning “garland, wreath, or necklace.”

Traditionally, giving a lei was a gesture of appreciation and gratitude.

Lei could have been worn by all with a couple exceptions.

Feathered lei, or lei hulu, were generally for members of the ruling class while a lei niho palaoa, or a whale-tooth pendant lei, was a symbol of royalty.

Today, the only restriction to wearing lei is for pregnant women to only wear open-ended lei as superstition shares the fear that a closed-ended lei would represent the umbilical cord of a baby wrapping around its neck while in the mother’s womb.

In Hawaiʻi, May 1st is known as “Lei Day,” celebrating the colors, flora and fauna of the islands mixed with modern pageantry.

It began in the 1920s when Honolulu Star-Bulletin writers Don Blanding and Grace Tower Warren saw the decline in lei.

They came up with the idea of celebrating the beloved Hawaiian garland.

The first Lei Day took place on May 1, 1928, and was a success.

By then, lei material and colors were designated for each island.

A lei contest was held, and lei were judged accordingly.

It was the following year in 1929 when May 1st of each year was proclaimed as “May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi” and has been celebrated ever since.

Did you know? Now you do!