Ka la i ala hou ai ka Haku

Happy Easter!

The first Christian missionaries arrived in Hawaii in 1820 at Kailua-Kona Bay on the ship Thaddeus. Christianity spread rapidly throughout the islands and continues to have a strong presence in both practice and culture today.

Easter is well-celebrated and observed in Hawaii with sunrise services, Easter hula dedicated to preserving and telling the story of the first missionaries and Christ’s story, and big family dinners.

There are different Hawaiian phrases for Easter, one from the Protestant tradition and one from the Catholic.

From the Protestant tradition, “Ka lā i ala hou ai ka Haku” literally means, “The day of the rising of the Lord.” And in the Catholic tradition, “Hau’oli Pakoa,” which is possibly derived from the Portuguese “Pascoa.”

This Kauai Church is set with the traditional building style of early mission churches to the islands, with the addition of ornate stained glass. Churches were some of the first western-style buildings constructed on the islands. They were also some of the largest enclosed structures on the islands apart from heiaus (temples).