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Early Hawaiian Lei Vendors
Each of the major Hawaiian Islands has its own lei.
Hawaii - lehua. The blossoms come from
the `ohi`a lehua tree which
grows on the slopes of the volcanoes. The most common color
is red but it's also found in white, yellow and orange,
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Kauai - mokihana.
Found ONLY on
Kaua'i.
You take the purplish berries and sting them like beads.
Sometimes they are woven with strands of maile.
Once you smell mokihana, you never forget it. (It's wonderful)
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Kaho'olawe - hinahina. You find it on
the beaches of Kaho`olawe.
It's a silver-gray plant. (You braid it to form the lei)
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Lanai - kaunaoa. This a parasitic vine
(light orange in color)
You gather it by the handful and twist it together to form the lei.
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Remember to "give a lei"
on special occasions.
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Maui - lokelani. A delicate,
sweet-smelling, pink rose.
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Molokai - kukui.
(The Candlenut Tree) You braid
the leaves to make the lei.
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Ni'ihau - pupu. The white pupu
shells are found along the
shoreline of Ni'ihau.
You pierce them and string on cords to form this lei.
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O'ahu - `ilima. A very thin and
delicate yellow/orange lei.
This is called "the royal lei" because they were once worn
only by the high chiefs.
(It takes 500 - 1000 blossoms to make 1 `Ilima
lei and it lasts just one day!)
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MAY 1st is Lei Day in Hawaii BUT
EVERYDAY IS LEI DAY at Aloha Joe.com
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