In every movie that has been set in Hawaii, arrival to the islands is done with a traditional Hawaiian lei at the airport. As soon as the lead characters step off the plane, beautiful Hula dancers are performing, with a traditional song playing, and the flowers draped over the neck of the new arrivals to the islands.
While this scene isn’t out of the ordinary, and it certainly may have happened like this in the past, it is not exactly the way that arrivals to the islands happen today. There is music playing throughout the airport, and the feeling of being in Hawaii does take over as soon as you land, but a greeting on the tarmac or inside the waiting area is a bit of a stretch. We aren’t trying to burst your bubble, but we don’t want you to be disappointed when you finally land in Hawaii.
Arrival to Hawaii may not be exactly how it is depicted in movies, but you can still have an authentic greeting and kick your trip off with a stunning souvenir and traditional welcome to Hawaii. Lei greetings have been around for nearly as long as Hawaii has had inhabitants, and you can choose to have a lei draped around your neck as soon as you arrive. Not only is this the most authentic greeting you can have, the aroma of the fresh island flowers will fill your residence throughout your trip.
The flower lei has been a practice in Hawaii since the earliest arrival of Polynesian voyagers, who arrived here by navigating the Pacific Ocean, using the stars to navigate. Originally, leis were made from flowers, leaves, shells, seeds, nuts, and feathers, just as they are today, and were worn by ancient Hawaiians as a symbol of beautify and to distinguish themselves from others.
Through the years, giving a lei has become tradition, remaining a symbol of the islands, and given for a variety of reasons, including a welcome or goodbye, birthdays, weddings, and graduation, whether from high school or college. When receiving a lei, always remember that it is considered rude to remove the lei in front of the person that gifted the lei, and keeping with tradition is very important in Hawaii.
With your trip to Hawaii quickly approaching, you’ll want to have the authentic greeting with a beautiful lei, setting your trip up with a treasured Hawaiian tradition. Hawaii Discount has lei greetings available at each of the airports in Hawaii, so no matter which island you are visiting, a lei is available to you.
Due to the high volume of visitors traveling to Hawaii year round, our Hawaii tours activities and Hawaii honeymoon activities sell out quickly. In many cases, tours sell out weeks or months in advance. To ensure your spots on tour, we recommend reserving your tours today. Call our office or book online to take advantage of our low price guarantee today.
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