Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month!

Lei Making: A Tradition of Celebration

by Jessika L., Branch Assistant at the Cheat Area Public Library

In honor of AAPI Month, this May we are going to be looking at the tradition of lei making. What comes to mind when you hear the word “lei”? Some might think of plastic party favors, others might think of floral garlands, but what constitutes a lei is less what it is made of and more the intention a lei is made with.

Loosely, a lei is a series of items strung together with the intention for it to be worn or gifted. Traditionally, these would have been made out of native plants and naturally occurring items found throughout Polynesia, such as rope-braided Ti leaves (Lei Hilo) or threaded feathers (Lei Hulu). The most treasured feathers come from the now extinct Hawai’i mamo. As time has passed and access to native resources has dwindled, lei are now also made from foreign plants, such as the famous plumeria, textiles like ribbon, and even novelty items in the form of money and candy lei.

Lei are most-commonly given at major life-events, including but not limited to: weddings, funerals, baby luaus, and graduations. Depending on the circumstances, they can be made and given as a symbol of friendship, love, loss, or congratulations. The giving of lei is an emotional affair, meant to honor the recipient. While one is physically gifting the lei, they are also gifting their care and affection, or their aloha. While often mistaken as a simple greeting, aloha is a much more complex word with deep cultural and spiritual meaning having no true English equivalent.

May is certainly the biggest month out of the year for lei. May 1st in Hawaii is Lei Day, a local holiday celebrating the tradition and craftsmanship of lei making, with each island having a specific floral lei representing it. Proposed by poet Don Blanding, the holiday has been celebrated with increasing popularity since 1929. Throughout the islands there are community festivals, parades, school plays, lei making classes, and even a crowning ceremony for the Lei Day Queen.

May is also graduation season. Graduation culture in Hawaii is a huge celebratory affair, with graduates often receiving so many lei that they pile up to reach their ears. Hawaiian diaspora continue this tradition in their regional communities, both in making lei at home and ordering lei from professionals in Hawaii. Ribbon lei are quite popular for graduates, as it is an accessible material and also customizable to the graduates school colors. The less formal nature of graduation leads to a lot of creative lei designs. Spam cans, rolls of coins, origami money, and various candies are all items found in graduation lei. 

To celebrate Lei Day and your own graduating friends, you can stop by any location in Morgantown Public Library System to pick up a DIY kit with supplies to get you started on how to make your own candy lei! Happy AAPI Month and Happy Lei Day!