Lei Day Celebration in Hawaii

What is Lei Day? Since it’s been exactly 1 month since I experienced this beautiful celebration in Hawaii, I thought I would share a quick snippet of the day and provide some info on it! “Perfect spring weather, fragrant flowers sewn into colorful garland lei and the sounds of Hawaiian music on Kauai can only mean one thing – it’s May Day in Hawaii! Held on May 1 each year, May Day is a statewide celebration of the aloha spirit and the giving of the flower lei... It is unknown when the tradition of giving lei began; it was believed to be a custom with the original Hawaiians, who presented lei of nuts, seeds, shells, leaves, and flowers as offering to the gods. In 1927, writer Don Blanding realized that the act of giving a lei was being embraced all over the world and encouraged the local newspaper to urge their readers to give and wear a lei on May 1 to honor the Hawaiian culture and rejoice in being so fortunate to live in paradise. The idea was so popular and well received that it officially became known as Lei Day in 1929 and a celebration was held in downtown Honolulu. Over the next few years, the celebration outgrew its original location in downtown Honolulu and moved to Queen Kapiolani Park in Waikiki. Today, thousands of people still gather at Queen Kapiolani Park for hula exhibition, lei exhibits and sharing of the Hawaiian culture.” To read more about lei day head to https://poipubeach.org/blog/may-day-is-lei-day-in-hawaii/ Follow @nikkiitomlin for more fun travel info! • • •