Hawaiian Flowers Traditions
Hawaiian Flowers are steeped into the Hawaiian traditions. The Lei is given at joyous occasions which include greeting a friend or family member, celebrating weddings or birthdays or love. It has been said that the lei represents the 'Joy of Life'.
The Hawaiian Flowers are fragrant and a treasured by the Hawaiian people. A lei can be made out of seeds, leaves, vines, nuts, fruits, ferns and flowers. The commonest flowers used for a lei are the plumeria or orchids. However, carnation and rose leis have become the most modern. The pink rose (Lakelani) is the Maui flower.
Some leis are complicated and fragile like the one's made out of gingers and gardenias. The Micronesian weave on these leis is very complicated.
Wedding traditions in Hawaii include the lei. The Maile lei is the worn by the groom only. Both bride and groom wear the Ti leaf lei which traditionally has been considered to represent divine rank and high power.
Lei also, historically, represented the ruling class. Bright yellow and orange ilima blossoms made the ruling class stand out.
Ancient beliefs by Hawaiians say that leis are to be worn by anyone who believes in the divine power of the flowers. Pregnant women would wear open leis to symbolize an open and flowing umbilical cord. The symbolic view of the lei was that it was a life-giving and life-symbolizing power.
One Hawaiian flower that is not used in leis is the Niu or the Coconut. The leaves from the Niu are used for weaving and thatching. The coconut tree was more for colonizing in remote lands. It helped to build homes, provide food, water and musical instruments for the Hawaiian people. For the most part the Niu was used for commercial purposes, not spiritual.
Modern beliefs still include giving leis during a wedding ceremony to represent the love and appreciation between each other. Modern beliefs still include giving leis for all joyous occasions. When a person travels to Hawaii they are given leis as a gesture of friendship because it's a joyous time to have a visitor.
Another modern tradition is to throw your leis into the ocean and if they come back to shore you will return again to Maui. If you get a chance to go to Hawaii enjoy the Hawaiian flowers and enjoy the traditions that come along with them!