What you should know about the hula chain
Anyone who lands on the Hawaiian archipelago is usually greeted with a necklace of flowers or feathers hanging around their neck. It symbolizes honor, friendship and peace. Vacationers should follow a few rules.
Status: 08:27 a.m
No advertisement for Hawaii can do without the flower chains
Quelle: Getty Images/Comstock
An May 1st was Lei Day in Hawaii, the official day of flower leis, the ultimate symbol of summer, the beach and good humor. These colorful necklaces of tropical flowers are called lei in Hawaii, which means jewelry. They are the perfect souvenir for escapists. But since flowers and long-haul flights are not friends, it is better to grab a lei hulu, a necklace made of feathers (hulu means feathers in Hawaiian) as a souvenir.
Like the flower leis, the lei hulu are part of the Hawaiian-Polynesian welcoming ceremony and are a sign of honor, friendship and peace. Dignitaries, celebrities and, of course, tourists are honored. They are usually hung around the necks of newcomers to the islands as they disembark from planes or check into hotels. They are also used for all kinds of graduation ceremonies, family celebrations such as weddings and funerals, not to mention the hula dance event.
Hawaiian feather jewelry hit the headlines some time ago after the American luxury designer brand Proenza Schouler presented just such necklaces for their summer 2022 collection. Instead of the 350 euros that such a gem costs on the islands, the customers of the fashion brand should pay 1490 dollars.
The justification was that the chains had been “carefully recreated with modern materials and a modern eye”. However, they were almost identical to the ancient Hulu Lei used in the Bishop-Museum are on display in Honolulu. After storms of protest over this brazen cultural appropriation, the luxury brand then removed the necklaces from its range.
Flower chains have a long tradition in Hawaii
Back to the real flower and feather necklaces, without which no Hawaii can do. Flowers such as frangipani, orchids, white tuberoses, a species of agave, but also carnations or jasmine are used for these necklaces. Basically, the more precious the flowers are, the greater the honor. Finally, the lei is also a status symbol.
Incidentally, for many centuries the Lei Hulu was only reserved for kings and nobles or allowed as a gift from the gods in temples. In addition to flowers, less perishable materials such as feathers, shells, fish teeth, bones, fabric, paper, zippers, algae, sweets or plastic flowers are also en vogue. This is not least due to the fact that there are fewer and fewer real flowers in Hawaii.
There are many different ways of making the lei. The most common is the so-called Hilo method, in which two strands are twisted together to form a rope. But if there are three strands, they are braided like a hair braid, if there is only one strand, the flower stems are knotted together directly.
The Hawaiians, who came from Polynesia in the South Seas and settled the archipelago in the Central Pacific between 300 and 500 AD, had brought the lei with them from their homeland. In Samoa the chains are called Asoa or Ula, in Tonga Kahoa, in Tahiti Hei and in the Cook Islands Ei.
Rules for handling a lei
Each Hawaiian island has its own preferred flower color. Big Island is red, Kaua’i is purple, and O’ahu is yellow. There are also a number of rules to be observed when dealing with the flower chains. You don’t buy a lei yourself, you only buy it to give as a gift. However, the recipient may only remove the chain when the giver is no longer present. By the way, pregnant women should only wear a lei that is open, a closed lei will bring bad luck to the baby.
Anyone who cannot wear the lei or has an allergic reaction must find a proper place for the chain. Don’t just put it on the table! The chains must not end up in the garbage when the flowers give out, but must be returned to nature.
Lei Day, which sounds like May Day, was introduced in 1927 by Hawaiian writer Don Blanding. There was also a matching song entitled “May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii”. And in 2008 in Honolulu the longest flower chain in the world was created from countless flowers. She was longer than a mile. The only question is who should wear something like that.
Light as a feather: a necklace from Hawaii
Source: Catherine Koppenwallner