OUR STORY

The mission of the Festivals of Aloha is to honor Native Hawaiian culture and traditions from generation to generation, as well as share them with visitors and people from the community.

In ancient Hawai’i, kahili were ceremonial feathered standards or long staffs decorated at one end with a cluster of feather plumes. Similar to the way nobility of Europe displayed their coat of arms on banners, Hawaiian attendants constructed sometimes elaborate feathered emblems to honor and spiritually protect high-ranking individuals.

​Today, kahili not only hold a significant place in traditional regalia, they also reflect the deep aloha and respect the people had for their beloved royalty.

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Year of Our Community Forests
ʻŌlelo Noʻeau #405
Hahai nō ka ua i ka ululāʻau.
Rains always follow the forests.
The rains are attracted to forest trees. Knowing this, Hawaiians hewed only the trees that were needed.

This ʻōlelo noʻeau reflects the deep understanding that Native Hawaiians held for generations prior to the industrialization-mindset that arrived with foreigners. Not only did Native Hawaiians once effectively steward their forested zones for maximum production of water and resources, they also cultivated and managed their own "forests" to intentionally engineer weather systems that improved the fecundity of the land, swelled the waterways, and created pleasant living environments. The famed Maluʻuluolele is an example of one such ululāʻau (forest).

The theme, "Hahai nō ka Ua i ka Ululāʻau - Rains Always Follow the Forests," connects the present generations of Hawaiʻi with those of the past regarding the State of Hawaiʻi's 2025 Year of Our Community Forests, while also deepening our understanding of what is possible through pono stewardship of Hawaiʻi's invaluable forest resources.​