Hawaii - A Brief History And Culture

The beginning of a Hawaiian kingdom started in 1809 after the fall of king Kamehameha. The new king moved to Honolulu to take advantage and control of the vibrant economic activity that existed. In this economic environment, Honolulu being centrally located was the perfect place to operate from. In the 1830's with the establishment of sugar plantations and Honolulu becoming a booming city, bars and brothels alike were opened. It was only a matter of time before Honolulu would take on more significance and in 1845 Honolulu officially replaced Maui as the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. Because of increasing western influence, Hawaii, and most importantly Pearl Harbor, officially became a US territory in 1898. There were several arguments, failed bills and lots of political red tape that kept Hawaii from becoming a U.S. state.

The gateway to allowing Hawaii to become an official state was tourism. Pan American Airlines flew the first passenger flights from mainland US to Hawaii in 1936. This led to a tremendous increase of tourists, especially from the US. After the Korean War and the attacks on Pearl Harbor, it became extremely important to make Hawaii an official state. Hawaii was declared the 50th state of the US on August 21, 1959.

In the 1970's the Hawaiian culture had a resurgence of pride and heritage awareness. The ancient Hawaiian language had all but disappeared and the effects of the American culture could be seen all across the state. In the seventies the original Hawaiian language was reintroduced back into pre-schools and became an important part of the heritage again Thanks to the Disney movie Lilo and Stitch, we all know that ohana means family. Today the language is taught at the University of Hawaii as well.

The luau is also another important part of Hawaiian culture. Luaus have been with the culture for hundreds of years. The word luau really just means a party or a celebration. This is the way that friends and family honor each other on special occasions. Today there are two types of Luaus. The first is like the original way, just a gathering of family and friends, and is regarded as the only authentic type. These gatherings are private, and unless you have local connections, it is unlikely that tourists would be invited to such an event. The second type of Luau is commercial. It is the type that tourists would frequent. They are heavily choreographed and can be quite entertaining. The luau usually has a buffet of some sort of roasted pig as the entrée accompanied by rice and of course pineapple. These luaus are also complete with hula dancers for the guys and Polynesian dancers for the viewing pleasure mainly of the ladies . There is plenty of entertainment to go around, especially when you add an open bar to the mix.

Another great festive event is the merry monarch festival. Founded in 1971, this is a hula festival and is regarded as the largest hula festival in the world. It features thousands of dancers and honors the long time Hawaiian tradition of hula dancing. The festival takes place in March or April and draws huge crowds. It is located in Hilo on the big island of Hawaii and is a weeklong cultural event.

Hawaii has a great history and its rich culture reflects this fact. Its people are extremely warm and friendly with almost a "cant care less" attitude to life. You will find a lot of smiles and friendships are easy to establish amidst a culture that is rich, warm and welcoming.