House of Mana Up is an online and local retail shop for local products and gifts from local makers and artisans in Hawaiʻi. You can shop online or in-store at Royal Hawaiian Center in Waikiki, you'll find food, fashion, home, beauty and art products that highlight homegrown ingredients and textiles woven in the Hawaiian Islands. The Mana Up ʻohana (family) continually expands to support a growing Hawaiʻi economy through a six-month accelerator and alumni program … [Read more...] about Virtual: meet the makers series “Mana Up Hawaii”
Hawaiiana
All about Aloha Friday & how to celebrate
The tradition of Aloha Friday goes back to the mid-twentieth century. During summer, businesses relaxed their dress code requiring a business suit and allowed Hawaiian-made aloha shirts to be worn during the warmer months. Eventually, Aloha Friday became official, and wearing aloha wear was encourage every Friday all year long. In the 1990s, the tradition of establishing a day for a more relaxed dress code spread to California, becoming known as Casual … [Read more...] about All about Aloha Friday & how to celebrate
Hawaiian hula dance forms and where to see them
Here is a very brief introduction to the indigenous Hawaiian dance known as hula. It is intended to give you an appreciation of the history of hula and an overview of its many forms. We include a list of some of the major hula festivals throughout the year across Hawaiʻi, as well as free hula shows and demonstrations held in shopping malls and other locations. What is hula? Hula is a very complex dance form unique to the Hawaiian Islands. It is not to be … [Read more...] about Hawaiian hula dance forms and where to see them
Coming soon: Overview of Hawaiian arts, crafts, and culture
We're working on this article and will publish it soon. Since ancient times, Hawaiian cultural practices have included traditions such as poi pounding, fish ponds, and ʻahaʻaina (commonly called lūʻau), along with many fine arts and crafts including featherwork, wood carving, kapa or bark cloth (commonly called tapa), tatoos, and more. We'll delve into these and more to give you an overview of traditional Hawaiian culture. But wait, there's more! More … [Read more...] about Coming soon: Overview of Hawaiian arts, crafts, and culture
Treasured heiau you can visit on every Hawaiian island
Listed below are heiau throughout the Hawaiian Islands that are open to the public. If you don’t know what heiau are, or wonder why you would want to visit these ancient sites, we provide a brief description of their cultural value, followed by tips for visiting these historical treasures to make the most of your time. If you are looking for the “real” Hawai'i, this is a good place to be. What are heiau? Heiau are remnants of sites used in ancient Hawai'i for … [Read more...] about Treasured heiau you can visit on every Hawaiian island
Introduction to Hawaiian music styles and instruments
Traditional Hawaiian music is characterized by percussion instruments, chanting, simplicity, and storytelling. As missionaries and immigrants to Hawaiʻi introduced their vocal styles and instruments, Hawaiians adapted each one to create modern forms of music that remain uniquely Hawaiian. Below we offer an introduction to traditional Hawaiian instruments and song styles, followed by modern forms adapted by Hawaiians through the use of string instruments, … [Read more...] about Introduction to Hawaiian music styles and instruments
