Lei Ana Hawai'i

  April Celebrations 

A lei a day keeps the boredom away... or something like that. - Anonymous

Lei Day is a vibrant Hawaiian holiday observed annually on May 1st.

Okay. So you're observant. The series is April Celebrations, why this? 

Because I'm feeling so lei-d back today? (LOL). Or maybe, I've run out of rogue April celebrations to write about?

Nah, I just thought, Why not? After all, Fav Granddaughter just celebrated the day by moving to dance music with precision and fluidity at Punahou School's annual Holoku pageant - and that's worth a blog.

Lei Ana ó Maui: Musical Celebration Of The Dark Pink Lokelani (rose of Castille). Photo: V.E.V., Punahou School: April 24, 2025

As you may have guessed, the day is dedicated to the cultural significance and beauty of the lei, a flower garland traditionally worn as a symbol of love, respect, and aloha (meaning love, affection, compassion, goodwill).

More than this conventional imagery, it has been said that whatever falls from the neck over your heart is a lei. An embrace from a friend is a lei.

That lei really brings out the aloha in your smile. Photo, Hughes Ohana Calendar: Compiled by P.D.H, Honolulu: 2025 

The sea that surrounds the islands of Hawaii is a lei.

When you look into the sky and see a rainbow, that is a lei. 

The birds that encircle above are making a lei and from their precious feathers we can fashion a special lei.

A young lady with arms around her grandparents, that is a lei. Photo: A.V.H, Punahou School: April 24, 2025

You don't have to be famous. You just have to make your Mama and your Dad proud of you.

A lei, any lei, is made with love.

All of Hawaii wears love as her lei. To give love is to give a lei.

To bring this series to an end, here's 

sending you a virtual lei, that you may

 adorn yourself with its fragrance, share its

beauty with others, and embrace the essence

of aloha!

Hauóli Lei Day! (Happy Lei Day!)

 

Couple Appreciation Month

  April Celebrations 

Don't wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. - Orison Marden

Did you know February isn’t the only month to love and appreciate your partner? April is Couple’s Appreciation Month. 

This observance was founded in 2010 by Blissful Escapes Company to encourage couples to do something special to re-enforce and celebrate relationships. Since then, the idea has caught on among both couples and singles who want to show their spouse or couple friends how much they enjoy their company.

So, what are some of the ways to intentionally connect?

Consider a floral bouquet, planning an at-home movie night, writing your partner a heartfelt letter, or arranging a picnic in the park.

Flowers Of April: 54th Wedding Anniversary. Waikiki: April 17, 2025 

Or shape your day by walking, even in the rain...

Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.

... And doing random lunch at an oceanfront restaurant.

Fresh caught fish with furikake steam rice; flakey white fish and chips. Barefoot Beach Cafe, Waikiki

Or how about a night out at for gourmet French cuisine?

As Virginia Woolf says, One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.

A gourmet meal without a glass of wine just seems tragic somehow.

à votre santé! Cheers! Anniversary Dinner. Ka Ikena Culinary School, Honolulu

It's remarkable how long we've tolerated each other.

It is said that all you need is love, but a pistachio raspberry mousse cake and a slice of chocolate dulce now and then won't hurt.

No matter how big or small the gesture, love is best felt in action.

There’s no time like the present to show your partner how much they mean to you. Regardless of whether your relationship may be like a walk in the park... Jurassic Park included.

The journey may not be perfect. Definitely will never be, but it's yours.

Stick with it till the end. 

No Housework Day

 April Celebrations 

Housework can't kill you, but why take a chance? - Anonymous

April 7 is National No Housework Day.

As the name suggests, this is a day to drop the vacuum, the laundry detergent, the dish soap. Just relax! 

Housework is evil. It.Must.Be.Stopped.

As tempting as it may be to sweep the floor or make the bed, the point of this observance is to give yourself a break from housework and do something else you enjoy instead. The cleaning can wait for a day. After all, after the first four years, the dirt doesn't get any worse.

Okay, so now you have a whole day free of housework. Here are a few suggestions to fill that time.

Binge-watch your favorite TV show. Don't forget the blanket and a few snacks.

Have a long and relaxing bath. A way to feel luxurious and spa-like in your own home.

Order some takeout. Cooking dinner can be considered a chore, so take the night off from that, too. As a bonus point, you won't have any dishes to wash.

No more blogging, too.

Warning pop-up:

Windows is shutting do...w..n!!!

Find A Rainbow Day

 April Celebrations 

Some days don't ya just wanna hop on your unicorn and fly somewhere over the friggin rainbow? - Anonymous

I've decided to go rogue this month.

In lieu of well-known and traditional full-bloom-of-spring celebrations, this series will feature lesser known holidays and observances in April.

Starting with National Find A Rainbow Day.

Each year on April 3rd, this observance challenges us to stop looking for a pot of gold and simply appreciate this colorful ray of hope cast across the sky.

Rainbow Over Waikiki Beach. Photo: V.E.V., Honolulu: December 2016

To celebrate the day, find yourself a rainbow. (Spoiler alert: you'll never find one if you're looking down). Or use the garden hose or a prism to make one yourself.

If you're feeling crafty, how about cutting out paper hearts? Tint them with every color of the rainbow, then string into an arc across a glass window. You just may be that bright beam in someone else's cloud.

What are you waiting for?

Go find your rainbow.

May your day be more beautiful than a unicorn farting rainbows!