Tag: Hawaiian Customs

Celebrating Over 130 Years of Japanese Bon Dance in Hawai’i

Bon Odori, AKA Bon Dance, originally from Japan, has been a Hawaiian tradition for over 130 years. Bon Odori is a style of folk dance performed at festivals in Japan during the Obon season. Deeply important and influential in Japanese culture, Obon is as important as other cultures’ New Years celebrations.  The Obon season in… Read more »

64 Years – Join in the Paniolo Fun!

Everyone loves a parade! We have heard that saying for ages. When it comes to parades, people on Maui are no different. Especially the residents of Makawao town, where local people have gathered for the last 64 years to participate in a four-day event, the colorful July 4th Paniolo* Parade and Rodeo!  The town spends… Read more »

Seven Scented Shoreline Beauties – Hawaii’s Beach Flowers

Endemic Hawaiian plants and flowers will typically thrive in their native environments. You do not have to go deep into the Hawaiian rainforests or to the edge of remote cliff faces finding exotic native flora in Hawai’i. Many beautiful flowering plants live along the beach where you go every day. They flourish in the sand,… Read more »

Nā Waiwai Aloha – 28 Hawaiian Values

Hawaiian Values are, in essence, values for humanity. Their uniqueness comes from being expressed in a pure, pristine way. Even though they were inherited from ancient Polynesian Culture and an environment that is temperate to tropical, they still speak to the values we have today worldwide.  People living together on this small planet must have… Read more »

The Excitement of Traditional Games During the Hawaiian New Year

Centuries before the European sea-faring explorers discovered Hawai’i, the people living on these islands had already developed a great New Year’s tradition.  This tradition is called Makahiki. The Makahiki preparations, ceremonies, and celebrations were extensive. This particular time of the year lasted from October through January. Four months were needed for all the activities that… Read more »

5 Hawaiian Customs That Will Enhance Your Appreciation of Hawai’i

  One of the things the residents of Hawai’i love most about our Island Home is the rich, multicultural traditions and customs. We share these customs with our friends, neighbors, and communities. Whether it’s the 4th generation Japanese, making hand-made mochi for the New Year, or the Dragon Dance for the Chinese New Year,  there are… Read more »

7 Reasons to Be on Maui for the Holidays

Long before Western explorers and Protestant Missionaries arrived, Hawai’i people had a time of year called Makahiki*. This time was a season of rest and rejuvenation. The days were shorter and a bit cooler – there was more rain to nourish the earth, and life slowed down.  A natural end of the yearly cycle, the… Read more »