May Day Is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi

May Day Is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi

At a Glance

• Lei Day is celebrated every May 1st across the Hawaiian Islands, dedicated to the lei as a symbol of Hawaiian culture and the Aloha spirit.
• The holiday was launched in 1928, inspired by writer Don Blanding and journalist Grace Tower Warren, who coined the phrase “May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi.”
• Each of the eight Hawaiian Islands has its own official lei, tied to a specific plant, material, and color.
• The holiday is marked by festivals, lei-making workshops, school pageants, and community gatherings across the islands.
• The largest celebration is the annual event at Kapiʻolani Park on Oʻahu, now in its 98th year — free and open to the public.

How It Started

The idea came from an unlikely source. Don Blanding, a writer from Oklahoma who had made Honolulu his home, pitched the concept to the editors of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin in late 1927. His thinking was simple: Hawaiʻi observed all the usual mainland holidays, but had no day that was truly its own — one that brought together everyone living there, regardless of background. A day to give and wear lei, he thought, could be that day.

His colleague Grace Tower Warren took the idea a step further, suggesting May 1st as the date and coining the phrase that stuck: “May Day is Lei Day in Hawaiʻi.” The first Lei Day was celebrated on May 1, 1928. A year later it received official recognition, and the tradition has continued every year since.

What Lei Actually Mean

A lei is more than a string of flowers placed around someone’s neck. In Hawaiian culture, the lei has long been a way of expressing love, respect, sympathy, welcome, and farewell. Ancient chants celebrated lei. The word itself was used as a term of endearment — a beloved child was called a lei, a weaving together of the love of parents and ancestors.

Each of the Hawaiian Islands has its own lei, tied to a specific plant or material and a color:

• Maui — Lokelani, a pink Damask rose
• Oʻahu — ʻIlima, a yellow hibiscus historically worn by high chieftains
• Molokaʻi — Kukui, with silvery green leaves
• Lānaʻi — Kaunaʻoa, thin orange strands of vine twisted together
• Kahoʻolawe — Hinahina, a silver-gray beach plant found only in Hawaiʻi
• Kauaʻi — Mokihana, purple berries native to the island
• Niʻihau — White pupu shell lei
• Hawaiʻi Island — Red lehua blossoms from the ʻōhiʻa tree

A Few Things to Know

If you give or receive a lei, there are some customs worth keeping in mind. A lei is draped around the neck — not tossed over it. If someone gives you one, wear it while you’re in their company. And turning down a lei is considered disrespectful.

The tradition of giving a lei with a kiss is actually relatively recent. The story goes that during World War II, a hula dancer at a USO club was dared to kiss a young officer. She handed him her lei and told him it was custom to give a kiss with it. That “ancient” tradition was born on the spot.

How Hawaiʻi Celebrates Today

Lei Day has grown well beyond a simple exchange of flowers. Schools hold May Day programs with royal courts representing the islands’ monarchical past. At Kapiʻolani Park on Oʻahu, the annual Lei Day Celebration — now in its 98th year — draws lei makers, hula hālau, and the wider community together for a full day of performances, a lei-making workshop, and a lei contest exhibit open to the public.

This year the event runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 1st, free to attend, and includes Hawaiian steel guitar performances and a display of some of the most impressive, handcrafted lei you’re likely to see anywhere.

Across the islands, other events fill out the day: lei-making workshops in Makawao on Maui, a heritage festival at the Bailey House in Wailuku, and block parties and gatherings throughout Honolulu.

The Spirit Behind It

Senator Daniel Akaka described Lei Day in 2001 as “a nonpolitical and nonpartisan celebration” whose sole purpose is to engage in random acts of kindness and to celebrate the Aloha spirit. That framing holds up. At its core, Lei Day is a reminder that a place can have its own way of marking time — not borrowed from somewhere else but grown right here.

As one supporter of the original holiday put it back in 1928: “More Hawaiʻi in Hawaiʻi.”

Lei Day is celebrated on May 1st each year. The 98th Annual Lei Day Celebration takes place at Kapiʻolani Park in Honolulu, free and open to the public.

Day-Trip to Lāna‘i

A day-trip to Lānaʻi is an easy ferry ride from Maui, departing from Maalaea Harbor.  You can book your day trip itinerary with Lost on Lānaʻi that includes your round trip Maui to Lānaʻi ferry and transfers at the same price as doing it independently. With the added time saving convenience of not having to book the ferry and call the shuttle yourself. Visit the Lāna‘i Cat Sanctuary, Lāna‘i City or Hulopo‘e Beach. Check out this Post for quick summaries of all of our day-trip itineraries.

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