Showing posts with label Hawaii. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hawaii. Show all posts

July 31 - La Hae Hawaii

  Posted on July 31, 2022     


This is an update of my post published on July 31, 2011:




Today is Hawaiian Flag Day. The flag is unexpected, at least to me—it doesn't seem to catch the island flavor or the Pacific/Asian ancestry of many Hawaiians—and it features a British “Union Jack” in one corner!

But in 1816 this flag was commissioned by King Kamehameha the Great to show Hawaii's close ties with Great Britain. The eight red-white-and-blue stripes stand for Hawaii's eight major islands.

This flag represented Hawaii as the flag of the Hawaiian Kingdom, as the Republic of Hawaii, and as the territory of Hawaii. Now it represents the State of Hawaii.



Celebrate Hawaii!


Eight major islands? 

I bet most folks cannot name more than four to six Hawaiian islands! Without looking it up, I can think of six:

Oahu - The capital city of Honolulu is located on this island



Diamond Head mountain

Maui - Famous for the dormant volcano Haleakala and the road to Hana


Above, clouds fill Haleakala's crater.
Below, the road to Hana is dotted with falls and pools.



Kawai - Famous for the Napali Coast with its dramatic cliffs 


The Big Island - Famous for the active volcanos and destructive/constructive lava flows 


Lava is destructive when it covers and burns
existing forests, homes, and roads.
Lava is also constructive, too; the Hawaiian
islands are, after all, entirely made up of 
cooled lava, and fresh new lava makes
them larger. A new island is being created,
even as we speak, about 18 miles away
from the Big Island. It is still a long time
in the making; the top of that newest
island is still about 3,000 feed underwater,
and scientists think it will take around 50,000
years for the island to arise from the sea!




Lanai - also known as Pineapple Island


I read that Lanai used to provide about 75% of the
world's pineapples!

Molokai - of the six largest islands, this one may be the least developed and therefore most pristine and secluded



Here are the two lesser-known main islands:

Kahoolawe—“The Target Isle” - this island was used as target practice for U.S. military!


This was the drop site for around 500 tons of TNT!

Niihau—“The Forbidden Isle” - basically,  forbidden to outsiders in oder to keep it Hawaiian


This is THE least developed and most secluded of the
eight main islands, because the owners keep it that way!

And what about the minor islands? Turns out, there are 137 islands (including atolls) in Hawaii!!


These are the eight major island...
And here are some others:




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May 1 - May Day AND...

    Posted on May 1, 2022

This is an update of my post published on May 1, 2011:



Today is celebrated as a big spring (or even beginning-of-summer) festival in some places in the world. May Day features baskets of flowers, floral gifts, and dancing around a maypole. (To find out more, check out last year's post.)


But it is also Labor (Labour) Day / Workers' Day in a variety of countries, Youth and Sports Day in Cyprus, Agriculture Day in Haiti, and Mother Goose Day goodness-knows-where. Finally, in the U.S., it is Law Day, Lei Day, Loyalty Day, and Save the Rhino Day!


Wow! So much to celebrate!

So...how come we haven't heard of some of these so-called holidays?

Well, as far as I can tell, Law Day and Loyalty Day were concocted by the U.S. government to offset Labor Day/Workers' Day commemorations elsewhere in the world. These new U.S. holidays were based on wanting to affirm loyalty to nation and the importance of the rule of law.... But neither of these topics particularly lend themselves to getting together with family and eating special meals. So I'm not surprised that the holidays didn't really take off with the general public.

As for Mother Goose Day and Save the Rhino Day, today is supposed to be a day to honor Mother Goose nursery rhymes and to learn about some of the most endangered species in the world, rhinoceroses—but I couldn't seem to spot any info on why these dates were chosen, much less any descriptions of activities and celebrations.

But Lei Day IS celebrated in Hawaii. A lei is a garland or wreath of flowers (or sometimes shells). They are usually draped around the neck, and leis are often presented when a visitor comes or leaves, or to celebrate an event such as a graduation or birthday. On this day there are lei-making workshops and contests, a Lei Queen is crowned, and events such as pageants, hula contests, and concerts are held. On Lei Day in 2008, people in Honolulu worked together to set a record for World's Longest Lei—making a lei that measured more than a mile in length!






Also on this date: 

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December 7 - Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day in the U.S.A.

 Posted on December 7, 2021


This is an update of my post published on December 7, 2010: 


December 7, 1941, a “date which will live in infamy,” Japanese fighter pilots launched a deadly surprise attack on Hawaii. About 2,400 U.S. service men and women were killed, and more than a thousand were injured, as the naval base at Pearl Harbor was bombed. Four battleships were sunk, and aircraft, cruisers, destroyers, a training ship, and a minelayer ship were either sunk or damaged.




The attack brought the U.S. into World War II, allies with England, France, and Russia and other nations in the world, fighting against Japan, Germany, and Italy.

The Remembrance Day is celebrated with observances and services, concerts and  dinners.

Some of these observances take place on the USS Arizona Memorial, which spans the sunken hull of the battleship on which 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors were killed.


The National Park Service maintains the memorial, and more than one million people visit every year. When I went to the memorial, years ago, a large group of Japanese tourists was there with flowers and paper cranes to honor the dead.





 
To find out more, check out...

EyeWitness to History  (lots of reading and a few photos)
or Tucson-dot-com  (lots of photos and a little reading)


Also on this date:


(First Tuesday of December)



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