History Of The Lei

What A Lei Actually Is

A lei is a garland or wreath made from flowers, leaves, shells, nuts, seeds, or feathers. It's worn around the neck, head, or wrists. The practice comes from Hawaii, but similar traditions exist across Polynesia. The word itself is Hawaiian and generally just means "string" or "anything that is looped." I spent a few years helping run a lei-making workshop in Honolulu before moving back to the mainland. That means I've tied thousands of stems and watched tourists try to buy the same thing at the airport for three times the price. The basics are straightforward, but there are details that separate something that looks decent from something that actually respects the tradition.

History Of The Lei

The oldest known lei-making traditions in Hawaii date back to the period when Polynesian navigators first settled the islands. Lei were never just decorative. They carried specific meanings. A warrior might receive a particular lei as recognition. A chief would wear specific materials that signaled rank. Children received their first lei during the mākēhā ceremony, which marked their first exposure to sunlight after birth. The introduction of new plant species after Western contact changed everything about lei-making. Before Europeans arrived, Hawaiian lei used native plants like maile, mokihana, 'ilima, and various orchids. After trade routes opened up, materials like rose, carnation, orchid, and plumeria became common. Many of the lei you see in tourist shops today are built almost entirely from non-native flowers. That doesn't make them worthless, but it does mean the historical record gets fuzzy if you're not careful about it. During the 1960s and 70s, the Hawaiian Renaissance brought a major shift back toward traditional materials and methods. People started questioning why so many leis were made from imported roses when native alternatives existed. This is where you'll see the biggest change in modern lei culture. There are still plenty of shops selling rose leis, but the traditional side has regained serious ground, especially in hula performances and formal ceremonies.

Basic Materials And Where To Get Them

The most common materials fall into a few categories. Flowers are the obvious one. Leaves provide structure and greenery. Seeds and nuts give texture. Shell and bone leis come from a different tradition altogether and require separate skills. If you're making your own, start with the flower choice. Here's what actually works and what doesn't. Rose petals keep their shape well but lose color fast once cut. They also shed on everything, which drives people crazy at events. Orchid blooms, especially dendrobium and phalaenopsis, hold up for days and maintain color. Plumeria smells good but wilts within hours in warm weather. Jasmine is fragrant and lasts about a day. Maile leaves are the classic Hawaiian choice but are difficult to source outside of Hawaii and need to stay moist or they crack. I ran into a real problem once where I was prepping a large order of maile lei for a wedding. The vendor had shipped them dry because they couldn't guarantee cold-chain logistics from the island. The leaves curled and split every single stem. What I ended up doing was soaking them in a solution of water and a few drops of glycerin for about twelve hours before stranding them. The glycerin replaced some of the moisture and kept the leaves flexible. It wasn't perfect but it saved the order. You won't find that in most tutorials.

How To String A Basic Flower Lei

You need flowers, a needle, thread, and something to pinch the ends. The thread matters more than people realize. Cotton thread is traditional and grips the stems well but rots over time. Nylon or silk-covered polyester thread lasts longer and slides through petals easier. For a standard adult lei, use about sixty to eighty blooms depending on flower size. A full necklace-style lei usually takes between one hundred twenty and one hundred fifty small flowers. Cut a length of thread roughly three times the desired finished length. Thread the needle and knot one end. Starting from the center of the thread, push the needle through the base of each bloom. The exact path depends on the flower. For rose petals, push through the calyx area near the base. For plumeria, go through the thick base where the petals connect. For small flowers like 'ilima or jasmine, you can string through the stem or push through the bloom itself. Keep the flowers tight against each other but don't crush them. Pull the thread firmly after every ten or so blooms to keep tension even. When you reach the end of the thread, create a loop by tying a slipknot around a few blooms near the tip. Trim the excess thread. Tie off the other end the same way. Flip the lei inside out so the knots are hidden and the blooms face outward. That's the basic structure.

There's a technique most beginners skip that makes a big difference. Before you start stringing, trim any excess stem that might poke through the flower base. Also remove any sepals or extra petals that look messy. A clean bloom strings cleaner and the finished lei looks more professional. This step alone cuts down on reworking your work later.

The Different Types You Should Know About

Paliku lei — Made from the bark of the hala tree or sometimes other fibrous materials. These are traditional and often given as gifts of respect. Pualani lei — A floral lei where the flowers are arranged so they face upward, like little stars. This requires more skill because each bloom needs individual positioning on the thread. Na le`o lei — A braided or woven leaf lei, usually made from ti leaf or pandanus. These don't use flowers at all and have a distinctive texture.

Lei hulu ole — Made from the feathers of the `ō `ū bird. These were reserved for ali`i (chiefs) and are now illegal to make from wild birds. Reproductions using other materials exist but the original tradition is restricted under federal law. Lei pahu — A rattle lei that makes sound when worn. Usually made with seeds or nuts strung tightly together. Most of what you'll encounter commercially falls into the pualani or standard floral category. The traditional types are more common at luaus, hula recitals, and graduation ceremonies where cultural accuracy matters.

Common Mistakes That Ruin a Lei

Using wire as the primary stringing material. Wire holds shape but damages flowers quickly. The metal oxidizes and stains petals. You'll see this done in souvenir shops where longevity matters more than appearance. For anything meant to be worn for more than a few hours, switch to thread. Not accounting for shrinkage. Flower leis contract as they dry and tighten. A lei that feels loose when you first finish it will be snugger after a few hours. Leave about two to three inches of give when testing the fit. Overcrowding small flowers. Beginners often think more blooms equal a better lei. Too many small flowers make the lei stiff and uncomfortable. There's a sweet spot where the lei drapes naturally. You know you've hit it when it lays flat on a table without curling into a tube shape.

Storing finished leis in the refrigerator without wrapping them. Cold air dries out flowers fast. If you need to store a lei, wrap it loosely in paper or a cotton cloth and keep it at about forty to forty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Never freeze a flower lei.

Where To Find Instructions And Supplies

There's no single official source for learning lei-making. Most of what exists online falls into two categories: tourist-grade tutorials that skip important details, and academic papers that assume you already know the basics. The University of Hawaii's Extension service has published some practical guides. The Bishop Museum in Honolulu also maintains resources on traditional lei-making techniques. For supplies, local flower shops in Hawaii carry the best selection. On the mainland, you'll need to order specialty items like maile leaves or mokihana berries through mail-order botanical suppliers. Amazon and Etsy have options but quality varies wildly. I once bought a batch of dried plumeria that turned out to be dyed roses. The tags claimed otherwise. Check before you commit to an order.

When A Lei Isn't Appropriate

Lei are sometimes worn inappropriately at events where they don't belong. They're not standard funeral attire in Hawaiian culture, though they're commonly given at memorials. They shouldn't be worn as a costume accessory at non-Hawaiian events. The context matters more than the object itself. A lei given sincerely at a proper occasion carries weight. A lei bought on a whim and worn as a costume carries nothing. That distinction comes up more than you'd expect. I've seen people wear lei to Black Friday sales and costume parties the same way others wear them to graduations and weddings. It's your choice what you do with yours, but the cultural weight behind the tradition is real and it's worth paying attention to.