Hawaiian Lei: Flowers, Customs and Respect

Blame the musical South Pacific. Blame TV shows like Magnum PI or Hawaii 5-0. Whoever you blame for the “kitschification” of Hawai’i and Polynesian culture, we’ve all participated. We’ve all perpetuated Tiki Tiki, grass skirts, coconut bras, and cocktails like the Flaming Volcano, meant to be shared with a group of your closest friends.

But there’s more to Hawai’i, its beautiful culture of “Aloha”, and the Hawaiian lei than bad puns like “Lei Low” (the name of a popular Tiki bar in Houston, TX, incidentally). The tradition of the lei arrived in Hawai’i with Polynesian explorers from Tahiti between the years 500 and 1200 CE. Since that time, the lei has been woven into the fabric of Hawaiian tradition and the customs that reflect it. And its powerful message is increasingly relevant today to a Western culture that’s lost its way.

Aloha Culture

Aloha means “hello” and also “goodbye”. Between those apparent polarities, Aloha covers most of the “good stuff” of life, particularly when it comes to how we relate to each other and who we are, in community. In Aloha culture, love, grace, kindness, and compassion are the pillars of life. Aloha is the breath of the Divine that blows through all relationships and through life itself, in us and for us.

The Hawaiian lei is a physical manifestation of what’s called Aloha Spirit, bearing in it all the commonly held island values that illuminate Hawaiian life. The Spirit of Aloha consists of 5 distinct virtues:

Lokahi: Unity - the strength of community, binding people together.

Olu’olu: Pleasantness; an agreeable aspect.

Akahai: Kindness and its expression as a tender action.

Ha’aha’a: Humility and the expression of modesty.

Ahonui: Patience; perseverance.

All those living by these 5 laudable virtues align their spirits within themselves and with the people around them. This is the true basis of community - alignment of purpose, intent, and realization toward harmony and peace.

As Enshrined in State Law

The Aloha Law (1986) exhorts Hawai’i’s elected members to act in their positions in the Spirit of Aloha. Representing the people of Hawai’i, members of the State Senate are legally required to model the 5 virtues we just discussed.

It’s important to recall that Hawai’i was once governed by Kings and Queens. They were bound by the same Aloha Spirit to act not only for their own well-being but for that of the people they reigned over. The values held up in Aloha culture in the Spirit of Aloha tell us something profound about the role of the lei and its prominence in Hawaiian tradition. What can we learn as visitors to Hawai’i and admirers of the Spirit of Aloha?

Not to Be Taken Lightly

Because of the popular folklore that’s grown up around Hawaiian traditions in mainland culture and elsewhere in the world, the lei is not often invested with the gravity and significance it deserves. Infused with centuries of tradition, this symbol of Aloha is not a frivolity to be sold in dollar stores next to a grass skirt made from shredded plastic.

To Hawaiians, the lei is a profound symbol of embrace. It’s also the most potent symbol of love in the culture. Like a wedding band, the lei forms a circle, referencing the eternality of love as a Divine attribute. But in Hawaiian spirituality (there is no concept of religion), the world is shared with the Divine. All live and work in community, the spiritual and material planes being intertwined and equally “real”.

The lei is more than a token gift on arrival to the islands or something to wear with honor. While it’s both those things, it’s also a potent symbol of a community without borders in which all are welcomed and embraced. The lei is a universal hug, acknowledging the beauty and belonging of every life, even those lives lived solely in spirit.

The Hawaiian lei is a powerful cultural symbol that has lost some of its power in the public square, where conformity is valued over uniqueness. I hope what I’ve written here serves to reclaim at least some of that power.

Evolving Over Time

The circular nature of time in Indigenous culture is another clue as to the lei and its symbolism. The eternality of love revolves, ebbing and flowing like the passage of seasons and years. In this spirit, Hawaiian culture has continually evolved the flowers lei are made from. Not at all doctrinaire or dogmatic about the type of flowers used, what pleases the giver and wearer and brings fragrant honor to the community involved in the lei presentation is the best flower to use!

And while Hawai’i is a tropical paradise of flowers, certain types of flowers are preferred for use in lei. The criteria for which flowers are used are a combination of color, fragrance, and cultural significance. That said, not all lei flowers are native to the islands, witnessing to Hawai’i’s gentle willingness to welcome new materials. Just as once Hawai’i received the lei itself from Tahiti, it has received more than a few flowers from afar, now beloved by lei-makers. Sweetly scented jasmine is only one example. Beloved by Princess Ka’iulani, it was she who gave jasmine the Hawaiian name “pikake'' after her adored pet peacocks.

Welcoming, Celebrating, Embracing

The Spirit of Aloha having illuminated our understanding of the Hawaiian lei and its glorious, spiritual symbolism, it’s clear that the lessons we can take away from this understanding are deeply enriching to our culture. In the welcome, celebration, and embrace of the lei, we share ancient human values so many of our cultures have been effectively stripped of.

The survival of Hawai’i’s indigenous worldview offers the children of Europe myriad opportunities to renew our own spiritual traditions in their most ancient formats. Because all over the world, whether in the northern or southern hemisphere, the circular nature of time, life, and its seasons, and the need to model communal virtues that hold us together in lokahi (unity) are messages promising spiritual renewal.

Through all our ancient Indigenous cultural contexts, remembered in all our human cells, the Spirit of Aloha is a familiar and common legacy going by other, lost names. And the Hawaiian lei stands as a modern symbol that reminds us of this great truth. Let’s give that some thought in these difficult times and in the days ahead as we retrace our steps home to a human truth.