King Kamehameha I Day: What to know about Hawaiian holiday celebrating islands’ unification

This weekend Hawaiians will celebrate their own unique state holiday, King Kamehameha I Day. This holiday was established in 1871 by King Kamehameha V as a way to honor his great grandfather who successfully united the Hawaiian Islands under one national banner and spearheaded their development as a country. By creating important trade links, King Kamehameha, a Black man, turned the small island nation into an economic force. He also resisted the cultural influences that came with increased European contact and placed a heavy emphasis on the importance of maintaining Hawaiian traditions. King Kamehameha’s legacy is almost mythological in proportions; he is known to have been fierce in battle and was rumored to have lifted a 2.5-ton stone with his bare hands.

True to the king’s legacy, festival celebrations are centered around indigenous Hawaiian customs and practices. At the end of a floral parade that features hula dancers and elegantly dressed horsemen representing the Hawaiian royal court, King Kamehameha I’s statue is dressed with 30-foot long leis. During other holiday celebrations, artisans teach native handcrafts like how to make pa’u, the skirt associated with hula dance, and leis, while actors reenact scenes from history and ancient chants fill the air. On some islands, there are even rodeos where celebrants gather to brave bucking broncos in honor of the late king!