Hawaii Vacations Blog - Hawaii Travel by a Hawaii Expert!

Okay folks - what encouraged me to write this post was learning today that Hilo hotels are very near sold out for the festival dates.  Every year I have people who have always wanted to see the hula festival but wait too long and cannot get accommodations or even flights. 

If its been your dream to witness the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival - you really need to take action now or you will miss the opportunity.  My tutu (great grandma) first took me when I was ten years old and I remember getting chicken skin (goosebumps) during the Hawaiian chants of the hula kahiko (ancient hula). 

The Merrie Monarch Festival began forty years ago with the major purpose of the perpetuation, preservation, and promotion of the art of hula and the Hawaiian culture through education. The festival is the world’s premier forum for people of all ages to display their skills and knowledge of the art of ancient and modern hula.

The annual presentation of the Merrie Monarch Festival has led to a renaissance of the Hawaiian culture that is being passed on from generation to generation. The week-long festival includes art exhibits, craft fairs, demonstrations, performances, a parade that emphasizes the cultures of Hawaii, and a three-day hula competition that has received worldwide recognition for its historic and cultural significance.

The Merrie Monarch Festival is committed to: 1) Perpetuating the traditional culture of the Hawaiian people; 2) Developing and augmenting a living knowledge of Hawaiian arts and crafts through workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions and performances of the highest quality and authenticity; 3) Reaching those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to participate; and, 4) Enriching the future lives of all of Hawaii’s children.

In preparation of the Merrie Monarch Festival, hula studios and instructors in Hawaii and on the U.S. Mainland hold classes, workshops, and seminars throughout the year to teach the art of hula, the meaning of Hawaiian chants and songs, the Hawaiian language, the making of Hawaiian clothing and crafts, and the history of the Hawaiian people.

Through this ongoing year-round learning process, students also gain a knowledge and appreciation of the unique harmony and balance the ancient Hawaiian people maintained with their island environment. The chants, songs and dance tell stories of the Hawaiians’ relationship with nature-the birds and fish, trees and flowers, mountains, oceans, rivers, wind, rain and Hawaii’s active volcanoes.