Lei Day in Hawaii Isn’t Just Flowers. Here’s What It Means

Did you know Lei Day in Hawaii is about more than wearing a beautiful lei?

For Hawaii visitors and people who love Hawaii, Lei Day is a chance to understand the deeper meaning behind one of the islands’ most recognized traditions.

👉 Hit play now to learn what Lei Day celebrates and why lei are connected to aloha, the land, and Hawaiian culture.

If you’ve ever wondered how to better understand Lei Day before visiting or celebrating Hawaii, this episode is for you.

You’ll learn the meaning behind the day, how it’s celebrated, and what travelers should know with more respect and context.

In this episode of Hawaii’s Best, we explore Lei Day in Hawaii so you can appreciate the tradition beyond the tourist image.

👉In this episode, you will:

• Learn why the first Lei Day was held in 1928 and why lei are tied to Hawaiian culture.
• Understand how schools, music, hula, storytelling, and lei contests are part of the celebration.
• Clarify the difference between haku lei and lei po'o.

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Scroll up ⬆️ and hit play now to understand Lei Day in Hawaii with more meaning and respect.

📱Connect with Kahanui:

• Instagram
• Website

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🎧Related episodes:

• Overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom
• Hawaiian Words to Know

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🤓Chapters:
1:52 Lei Day Origins and Meaning
3:09 How Hawaii Celebrates
4:20 Island Events and Lei Contests
4:59 Lei Day Court and Schedule
5:27 Lei Styles Explained
7:03 Wrap Up

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👉 Book a Hawaii Travel Consultation

About Your Host: Bryan Murphy is the founder of Hawaii’s Best Travel & a Certified Hawaii Destination Expert through the Hawaii Tourism Authority, since 2020. An HVCB member since 2019, he helps first-time & repeat visitors plan unforgettable Hawaii vacations w/ clear, practical advice & authentic cultural insight.

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Hawaii travel podcast helps you plan a trip to Hawaii with clarity. Discover practical travel tips, island itineraries, & local insight to help you explore Oahu, Maui, Kauai, the Big Island.

Edge of the Ocean (w/ permission)
Ukulele and Chill (w/ permission)
Talk Story (w/ permission)

Transcript

229_Lei Day in Hawaii Isn’t Just Flowers. Here’s What It Means

[00:00:00] Lei Day Teaser

[00:00:00] Bryan Murphy: Coming up on Hawaii's best.

[00:00:03] Kahanuola Solatorio: Every time someone thinks about Hawaii, they think about lei, whether it be cocoa in a lei or a fresh flower lei, or the fake, you know, plastic flower lei that people like to wear with their grass skirts. It's a part of our culture and it's a part of our island.

[00:00:20] Bryan Murphy: Rio is a Hawaiian language teacher, kumu, and an all around just great guy full of aloha, and I can't wait for you to hear this episode.

[00:00:29] Why This Episode Today

[00:00:29] Bryan Murphy: Today is late day, May 1st in Hawaii, and we're gonna be talking about what that is. This was a recorded episode we had on a previous episode. And I wanted to share it because it's timely being that today is late a, I hope you enjoy it and be sure to subscribe to the podcast because the next week we have some new episodes coming out, so you don't wanna miss that.

[00:00:49] Bryan Murphy: But today. It's late day. So let's go ahead and let's celebrate

[00:00:56] Welcome and Catching Up

[00:00:56] Bryan Murphy: Loha, and welcome to Hawaii's Best. I'm Brian Murphy, Hawaii, destination expert and your personal guide to planning an unforgettable trip to Hawaii. Welcome to a special episode. Today I am joined with our unofficial cultural practitioner, Kahani. So Torrio, how is it going, man? How is Oahu?

[00:01:17] Kahanuola Solatorio: It was great. Um, long time to see and chat.

[00:01:20] Bryan Murphy: I know

[00:01:20] Kahanuola Solatorio: it's good to see Waikiki. Alive again and see tourists here. Um, a lot of them are being more responsible when they come to Hawaii because they're pretty much, people are calling tourists out on social media and everything. Yeah.

[00:01:36] Bryan Murphy: Right. And, and hopefully this is a resource for someone who's planning a trip can take into account some of the things just to be aware of traveling into a culture and kinda what to do and what not to do.

[00:01:48] Bryan Murphy: Well, it's good to connect again and and see you and

[00:01:51] Kahanuola Solatorio: Totally.

[00:01:52] What Is Lei Day

[00:01:52] Bryan Murphy: But today we're talking about mayday, which is late day in Hawaii, and that's happening today. Late day.

[00:02:00] Kahanuola Solatorio: Yeah.

[00:02:00] Bryan Murphy: What is late day all about? Why is it celebrated? Maybe a little history behind the day.

[00:02:05] Kahanuola Solatorio: Just starting us off.

[00:02:07] History and Meaning of Lei

[00:02:07] Kahanuola Solatorio: The first mayday, our lay day was held in the 1928 Lei has been very synonymous with Hawaii and Hawaiian culture back in the both days.

[00:02:17] Kahanuola Solatorio: People would sell leis at the harbors to the tourists that would come in. I'm sure at that time it was like 10 cents or something. But every time someone thinks about Hawaii, they think about lei, whether it be Coco in a lei or a fresh flower lei, or the fake. Plastic flower lay that people like to wear with their grass skirts.

[00:02:40] Kahanuola Solatorio: It's a part of our culture and it's a part of our islands, but for me, like yeah, there's a tourist side to it, but it also shows our connection to the land. It shows our aloha ina our love for the land because. We use the resources that are given to us to create adornments that we love to wear, and we love to show off.

[00:02:58] Kahanuola Solatorio: So yeah, I think Lay Day is all about that. Celebrating our aina, celebrating our,

[00:03:03] Bryan Murphy: mm-hmm.

[00:03:04] Kahanuola Solatorio: Our fresh flowers, our resources that we're given because of this land

[00:03:09] How Hawaii Celebrates

[00:03:09] Bryan Murphy: and what are some ways and how it's celebrated.

[00:03:12] Kahanuola Solatorio: Yeah.

[00:03:13] Bryan Murphy: O obviously the making and giving of legs, but

[00:03:15] Kahanuola Solatorio: mm-hmm. Yeah, I, it's funny because. As much as people want to wear lace every day, they're pretty expensive.

[00:03:21] Kahanuola Solatorio: Um, you know, they're pretty pricey. So on this day, everyone. You know, where's their best, their best alo wear. They either make their own lei to wear or they give a lei, they buy a lei, the very best leis. And then other ways that we celebrate it. A lot of schools, they actually have mayday celebrations, whether it's actually on May day, on May 1st.

[00:03:44] Kahanuola Solatorio: Or around that week or whatnot.

[00:03:46] Bryan Murphy: Mm-hmm.

[00:03:47] Kahanuola Solatorio: So a lot of celebrations of Hawaiian music, of storytelling, hula, of course, that's all big components of LA Day in our Hawaiian culture. And you see it like every school on that day. They're all having celebrations. You know, parents come to to watch their kids perform, get the shot of their child dancing hula for their first time, probably.

[00:04:10] Bryan Murphy: Yeah.

[00:04:11] Kahanuola Solatorio: Yeah. And then there's a lot of, you know, other concerts around the islands that celebrate mayday, just Hawaiian music, good food, hula, all that jazz.

[00:04:20] Contests and Lei Day Court

[00:04:20] Bryan Murphy: So across the islands, are there unique celebrations that outer islands kind of celebrate in their own unique way? Or is it pretty much cohesive?

[00:04:28] Kahanuola Solatorio: Yeah, it's pretty cohesive.

[00:04:29] Kahanuola Solatorio: I know. Um, every year they usually have lake contests on every island, or at least the main four islands. Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and then one in Hilo, one in Una. But they have Le contests. So the one in Oahu is usually held at the Kapi bandstand. Um, and it's a good way for if tourists, you know, they wanna come and look at beautiful lei, they can go stop by.

[00:04:55] Kahanuola Solatorio: I think it's a free event. Anyone can just come. And of course, music and hula. And also for Oahu specifically. Not sure about the other islands, but they have a lay day court. Um, there's always gonna be a lay day queen. And then two, I guess ladies in wading that they're the court for that year. And this is held in February.

[00:05:15] Kahanuola Solatorio: The, the selection for that day there, the honorary lay day court for Hawaii. So yeah. I think it starts in the morning at nine, but it goes all the way till like 5, 5 30.

[00:05:27] Bryan Murphy: Okay.

[00:05:27] Lei Styles Explained

[00:05:27] Kahanuola Solatorio: People have lay demonstrations. They have of course the LEI contest. There's a few different styles of LEI that people use. The first one is Haku, Haku Lei, which a lot of people are getting confused with.

[00:05:40] Kahanuola Solatorio: They think that the Haku is the one they were in the head.

[00:05:44] Bryan Murphy: Crown.

[00:05:44] Kahanuola Solatorio: Yeah. Crown, yeah. Um, but that's, that would be called a Le po. Lei. And then PO is the head. So the Haku le is something that they weave together and they braid in all the different materials that they, you know, they want to create. Haku needs to create or to make so

[00:06:02] May Day Song Finale

[00:06:02] Bryan Murphy: continuity before we say goodbye.

[00:06:04] Bryan Murphy: Anything else you'd love to share?

[00:06:06] Kahanuola Solatorio: Yeah. Um, how about one of the songs that are, you know, famous from?

[00:06:11] Bryan Murphy: Oh, come on.

[00:06:12] Kahanuola Solatorio: I mean, Ghana.

[00:06:12] Bryan Murphy: Yeah. Yeah. You gotta do it.

[00:06:14] Kahanuola Solatorio: So if you know, and just sing along. Just, and maybe dance. Dance if you want to. Okay. May in Hawaii, garlands of flowers everywhere, all of the colors in the rainbow.

[00:06:34] Kahanuola Solatorio: Maidens with blossoms in their hair, flowers that mean we should be happy Throwing a side of load of care. Mayday is Ladies Days in Hawaii. May days. Happy Days out there. Happy day everyone. Aloha.

[00:07:03] Mahalo and Subscribe

[00:07:03] Bryan Murphy: Mahalo for listening to Hawaii's Best. If you found today's episode helpful, make sure to hit follow on your podcast app so you don't miss future episodes. You can find all links and resources mentioned today in the show notes below. Hawaii's Best is produced by Shore Break Media Group, edited by Easy podcast solutions and with music by our friends Stick figure.