Back in the early 90s we lived in Hawaii. I know...how wonderful was it to live in paradise?! Well, we were living our lives doing everyday things like working and going to school. We were NOT on vacation everyday. We did take the time to tour the islands and learn about the local culture and traditions. One of my favorite things about Hawaii is the tradition giving leis.
Leis are an important part of if the Hawaiian culture. They are given to others as a symbol of affection. Many people have seen pictures of people getting a lei when they fly into Hawaii. The airlines no longer hand out leis to everyone, but lei giving is still a common practice there and you will often see it given with a kiss. Leis are given for all kind of occasions, including a new child or congratulating a graduate. I love seeing graduates with so many leis that you can barely see their face!
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| Leis given to me after the birth of my first child in Hawaii |
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| Same child 18 yrs later at his high school graduation |
A lei can be any objects strung together with the intent to be worn. Leis can be made from just about anything...shells, paper, money, ribbon, candy, fabric. Most commonly they are made from fresh plants, such as flowers and leaves. For my son's graduation I made him 4 leis: flora, ribbon, money, and candy. Here he is proudly wearing them.
They look hard to make, but they really aren't. I'm going to teach you how to make one. If you've even strung something, then you can make a lei. The hardest part is probably threading the needle.
Supplies: fresh flowers, large needle, waxed dental floss, scissors, ribbon (optional).
Commonly leis are made with plumerias, carnations, orchids, tuberose, and ti leaves. I like using carnations because they are readily available, come in a variety of many colors, and are easy to string. A great place to get them is from
Fresh Flowers. First you cut the flowers off near the top of the stem.
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| cut flowers ready to be strung |
Then you cut a long piece of dental floss and thread it through your needle and tie off the floss so that it doesn't slip out of the eye of the needle.
Then you carefully thread the needle through the flower. Go from the stem through the middle of the flower and then gently move it down the floss. Make sure to leave a few inches at the bottom of the floss. You can put a loop on that end as a reminder if you want.
Continue stringing flowers until it's the desired length and then tie off! You can make patterns with your lei. My daughter alternated carnations and daisies on her headband and I did 2 carnations and one daisy in my pattern for the necklace. I added a ribbon to the one I made, which covered up where it was tied off.
How easy is that? Can you think of someone special you'd like to make a lei for? Wouldn't they love to get a fresh lei even if you don't live in Hawaii? My daughter is just beaming in these photos because she loves the leis so much and is proud of helping make them. Proper disposal etiquette for leis return them to the earth by various means or you may dry them and let their fragrance fill the room. They should not be tossed in the trash. My son still has the dried lei I made him for graduation.
