The HISTORY
Every year on the Friday closest to June 11, the King Kamehameha statue in downtown Honolulu is decorated with lei to honor King Kamehameha, who unified the Hawaiian islands.
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This ceremony is part of Honolulu’s King Kamehameha Day celebration. The holiday was first created by King Kamehameha V to honor the warrior king and his defense of Hawaiian culture as the islands were increasingly subjected to western colonization.
This statue in front of Ali’iolani Hale was originally commissioned by King Kalakaua and is now one of the most well-known landmarks in the state, but not many people know that it is a replica. The original was lost at sea, but was later found and now stands in Kamehameha’s birthplace of North Kohala. A third statue, commissioned from Italy and originally meant to reside on Kauai, was eventually moved to Hilo, where it remains today.
For over 100 years, the Honolulu statue has been decorated by the ‘Ahahui Ka’ahumanu, a local civic group that is dedicated to preserving Hawaiian culture and honoring Queen Ka’ahumanu. The group gathers annually to thread up to 30 90-foot lei to drape over the statue. They also help in the Kamehameha Day festivities by gathering flowers to create elaborate floats, performing hula, and participating in many other activities throughout the day.
Parades and celebrations last all day across the islands, with parades, ceremonial lei drapings, and cultural performances.
In the 1860s, King Kamehameha V planted 1000 coconut trees to represent the 1000 warriors who once protected Hawaii. He named this swath of land in Moloka'i the Kapuaiwa Royal Coconut Grove, and, though there are only about 100 trees left today, the grove stands as a reminder of King Kamehameha I, who unified the Hawaiian islands.
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A Pālāʻau community group created a festival to celebrate Kamehameha I. This festival highlights pāʻū, which refers to the skirt that female horseback riders wear. Volunteers at the festival came together to create floral displays with a variety of Hawaiian flowers. Then, each participating island appointed a princess, and with the Grand Marshal leading the festivities, celebrated King Kamehameha’s legacy.
The Kamehameha Day Holiday was proclaimed by King Kamehameha I grandson, Lot Kapuāiwa - King Kamehameha V, in 1871, followed by an inaugural celebration of events on June 11, 1872. Years later, in 1939, the Commission was formed under the Hawai‘i Territorial Legislature.
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THE 149-YEAR OLD HOLIDAY WAS PROCLAIMED BY KAMEHAMEHA V. THE FIRST CELEBRATIONS FEATURED FAIRS AND CARNIVALS PLUS FOOT, HORSE AND VELOCIPEDE RACES. TODAY KAMEHAMEHA DAY IS CELEBRATED WITH EVENTS THAT HARKEN BACK TO ANCIENT HAWAIʻI RESPECTING THE CULTURAL TRADITIONS THAT KAMEHAMEHA DEFENDED AS HIS SOCIETY WAS SLOWLY SHIFTING TOWARD EUROPEAN WAYS.
HILO STATUE:
A THIRD STATUE, STANDING AT 14 FEET, WAS COMMISSIONED WHEN HAWAIʻI ATTAINED STATEHOOD. SCULPTED BY R. SANDRIN AT THE FRACARO FOUNDRY IN
VICENZA, ITALY IN 1963, WAS UNVEILED IN 1969. DESTINED FOR THE SHORES OF KAUAʻI BUT WAS LATER MOVED AND NOW RESIDES ON HAWAIʻI ISLAND IN HILO SINCE 1997.
HONOLULU STATUE:
FOR OVER 100 YEARS IN HONOLULU THE ʻAHAHUI KAʻAHUMANU HAVE BEEN SPEARHEADING THE LEI DRAPING CEREMONY. THE CIVIC CLUB CELEBRATES THE LIFE OF QUEEN KAʻAHUMANU AND PRESERVATION OF HAWAIIAN CULTURE. DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS GATHER FLOWERS AND SEW UP TO 90 – 30-FOOT LEI TO BE DRAPED ON THE STATUE. THEY PERFORM HULA AND OTHER CULTURAL
OBSERVANCES TO HONOR KAMEHAMEHA.