Every May 1st since 1929, Hawaii has celebrated “Lei Day”, a holiday unique to the islands and filled with lei making, contests, hula dancing, and the annual crowing of the Lei Queen and her court.
Leis can be made from flowers–like the fragrant Plumeria pictured here–or from nuts, fruit, and vines. Each island has its own ‘official’ lei different from the others (you can see that list and a few pictures here).
For the keiki (children) on the islands Lei Day means presenting special hulu dances, chants, and songs in concert while wearing hand-crafted leis.
