A Hawaiian lei is far more than a beautiful strand of flowers. It is a meaningful expression of aloha, love, honor, connection, remembrance, and respect. For generations, lei have helped the people of Hawaiʻi recognize important relationships, celebrate meaningful occasions, and express feelings that words alone may not fully communicate.
The Early History of Lei in Hawaiʻi
The tradition of lei making was brought to the Hawaiian Islands by the Polynesian ancestors of the Native Hawaiian people. As Hawaiian society developed over the centuries, lei making became an increasingly important art form with deep cultural, social, and spiritual meaning.
Early Hawaiian lei were created from materials found throughout the islands. These included flowers, leaves, vines, seeds, shells, feathers, nuts, fruit, and other natural elements. Lei could be worn around the neck, placed upon the head as a lei poʻo, or used during ceremonies, hula, religious observances, and important community gatherings.
Lei were also associated with identity and social position. Native Hawaiian chiefs sometimes wore carefully crafted lei and featherwork to represent rank, authority, and connection to the divine.
What Does a Hawaiian Lei Symbolize?
Today, the lei is widely recognized as a symbol of Hawaiʻi, but its meaning reaches much deeper than its outward beauty.
Aloha
A lei commonly represents aloha, a Hawaiian concept that includes love, kindness, compassion, affection, and sincere regard for others. Giving a lei allows a person to offer those feelings in a physical and memorable form.
ʻOhana
Lei can also symbolize ʻohana, meaning family. They are often given during birthdays, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, reunions, and other occasions that bring families together.
Hoʻohanohano
The Hawaiian word hoʻohanohano refers to honoring or showing respect. Lei are frequently presented to recognize someone’s accomplishments, leadership, service, or importance within a family or community.
Pilina
Pilina means relationship, connection, or association. The act of making and presenting a lei can strengthen the bond between the giver and the recipient. Because a lei is often made by hand, it carries the time, care, and intentions of the person who created it.
Hoʻomanaʻo
Lei may also express hoʻomanaʻo, meaning remembrance. They are used to honor loved ones, commemorate important moments, and pay tribute during memorial services. In this setting, the lei becomes a symbol of continuing love and cherished memory.
Lei Are Not Limited to Flowers
Although fresh flower lei are among the most familiar styles today, traditional and contemporary lei can be made from many materials.
Common examples include:
- Orchid and plumeria lei
- Pikake and tuberose lei
- Maile lei
- Ti leaf lei, also known as lei lāʻī
- Kukui nut lei
- Seed and shell lei
- Feather lei
- Fabric, ribbon, candy, and money lei
Ti leaf lei are traditionally created by twisting or braiding prepared leaves into a strong, graceful strand. Lei makers often approach the process with careful and positive thoughts, recognizing that their intentions are part of the gift being created.
Maile lei are especially recognized for their long, fragrant green vines. They are commonly associated with respect, honor, peace, and important ceremonial occasions.
The Meaning of Giving and Receiving a Lei
Presenting a lei is a personal act of aloha. The meaning comes not only from the materials but also from the relationship between the giver and recipient.
A lei may communicate:
Welcome. Congratulations. I honor you. I appreciate you. I remember you. You are loved.
The lei greeting familiar to many visitors developed into an important local custom, especially as travel to Hawaiʻi expanded. Lei makers have sold handmade flower lei at Honolulu’s airport since the 1940s, helping establish the lei greeting as an enduring part of the visitor experience.
A lei should be received respectfully because refusing one may unintentionally reject the aloha behind the gesture. Traditionally, the lei is worn openly and appreciated as an expression of the giver’s care.
Lei Day in Hawaiʻi
Hawaiʻi celebrates Lei Day on May 1. The first territorial “May Day Is Lei Day” celebration was held on May 1, 1928, with school programs, festivities, and lei making competitions throughout the islands.
Lei Day celebrates Hawaiian creativity, culture, music, dance, flowers, and community. It also helps pass lei making knowledge from one generation to the next.
Each island is associated with particular colors and lei materials, reflecting the distinctive plants, landscapes, and traditions of that island.
Lei Making as a Living Cultural Practice
Lei making is not simply an activity from the past. It remains a living tradition practiced by families, cultural practitioners, florists, hālau hula, schools, and communities throughout Hawaiʻi and beyond.
The process may include gathering materials responsibly, preparing flowers or leaves, selecting a lei making method, and creating the lei with patience and intention. Traditional practitioners also emphasize caring for the land and protecting native plants so future generations can continue the practice. The University of Hawaiʻi notes that growing lei plants can support cultural preservation while reducing gathering pressure on remaining native vegetation.
More Than a Garland
A Hawaiian lei carries beauty, but its true value comes from its meaning. It represents relationships between people, connections to the land, respect for tradition, and the spirit of aloha.
Whether offered at a graduation, wedding, birthday, memorial, business opening, family gathering, or simple homecoming, every lei tells a story. It reminds the recipient that they are welcomed, valued, remembered, and connected.
A lei is not simply something that is worn. It is aloha carefully gathered, thoughtfully created, and lovingly shared.
Mahalo nui loa, thank you very much, for helping honor and continue the beautiful tradition of Hawaiian lei.