Koolaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club celebrates Lei Day at Windward Mall

HONOLULU — The Koolaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club and Windward Mall will present “Lei Day at the Mall” on Sunday, May 1, a celebration honoring the Hawaiian Lei Day tradition with music, hula and a lei making. Collaborative partners and sponsors of the event are the Hawai`i Tourism Authority, Mayor Peter Carlisle and the City & County of Honolulu, and Hawai`i Maoli.

Performers will include Keale, Dwight Kana`e and Friends, the hula halau Na `Opio o Ko`olau with Michael and James Dela Cruz, the Hawaiian immersion students of Papa Makua o Puohala, and the choral group of the Ko`olaupoko Hawaiian Civic Club.

The lei-making contest is open to adults, teenagers and keiki, according to Koolaupoko Civic Club Vice-President Leialoha “Rocky” Kaluhiwa.  “Adult entries are open to participants from 18 years and older; youth entries are for ages 12 to 17; and keiki may enter from ages 6 to 11,” she says.  Lei-makers must be amateurs – the contest is not open to anyone who sells lei for income, according to the civic club.

Adults and youth wishing to enter the lei contest should bring their completed lei to the Mall by 9 a.m. on May 1st, so that they may be registered and prepared for judging.

Keiki wishing to enter the lei contest will have to prepare their lei at the mall between 10 a.m. and noon. Tables and chairs will be provided near the Center Stage area.  “We would like to have the children come in and sew or fashion their own lei right here at the Mall,” Kaluhiwa says.  The keiki will need to bring their own materials (flowers and/or greens) to make their lei.

All lei must be made from natural materials gathered from the Ko`olaupoko area from Kualoa to Waimanalo, according to the civic club.  Thread, string, yarn or ribbon will be allowed for lei prepared in the kui (needle and thread) style.  All styles of lei-making – haku, wili or kui – will be accepted in the contest.

Demonstrations of lei-making and exhibits featuring major projects and cultural activities in Ko`olaupoko will also be available throughout the day.

For more information or to register for the lei contest, contact Rocky Kaluhiwa, ph. 286-7955 or via e-mail, [email protected].