Maui Leis

If you have ever wondered about where the tradition of Maui leis began, or what is the etiquette behind the wearing and the giving of leis? We'll talk about that here, and you'll also learn about the different kinds of leis, the art of making leis and our lei story.

Lei Beginnings

Lei Etiquette

You can give or wear a lei for almost any occasion, including weddings, arrival on Maui, church services, religious ceremonies, graduations, birthday parties and anniversaries, to name a few. One unspoken rule to follow is when someone offers you a lei and places it on your shoulders, you should never remove the lei while in their presence (that would be considered rude).

Kinds of Leis

Leis of the more permanent variety are made from shells, ferns, beads, seeds, feathers, ivory, and even bone and teeth from animals. Some leis that are woven (haku style) are dried and can be put on display for months at a time (or longer).

Art of Making Leis

Lei making is fascinating because you can be as creative as you want. You’re bound to find great lei making materials just outside your door. Greenery such as leaves, ferns and flowers of all kinds can be used to make a lei. If attempting to make a lei for the first time, you might want to start with the basic single strand flower lei.

Collecting your materials can be half the fun! You’ll need about 45-50 medium sized flowers to make a 36”– 40” single flower strand lei, 95-100” of cotton string or heavy duty quilting thread and a steel lei needle or heavy duty long quilting needle. Once you have your 95”- 100” of string, fold it in half and tie a large knot at the end (this stops the flowers from falling off) but leave enough string after the knot to tie the two ends together.

To string the flowers, you can use what is called a steel lei needle, or any needle that is around 12 to 18 inches in length. Place the needle through the back side of the flower right in the middle. Once the needle is through the flower, gently press the flower to the back of the string, (don’t want to ruin the flowers by pressing them too hard down the string). You can dress up the lei by adding a ribbon, or leave it as it is—either way, you can’t go wrong!

There are flower lei kits that you can purchase that include instructions, lei needle(s), twine, and about 450-500 orchids.

Our Lei Story

My story begins with my first trip to Maui (and Hawaii) in 1997 with my wife of three months. This was her second trip. Her first trip to Hawaii was for a performance as an invitational pom and cheerleading group to perform at halftime in the Aloha Bowl on Oahu on Christmas Day, 1989.

While visiting Maui, I learned from experience that a smart and kind thing to do is buy a lei for your wife. I knew wearing leis was a Hawaiian tradition. What I didn’t realize was the romantic aspect of the lei. You give her flowers when you’re at home. By the same token, you give her beautiful Maui leis when in Hawaii. Needless to say, it completely escaped me how important this was to her (you ladies are thinking – this guy needs help!).

When she ended up having to buy her own lei on that trip (you can see where this is going), she got quite upset with me and later told me about it. Moral of the story? On our next two trips to Maui I made it a point to give her Maui leis. It further demonstrates that with a little coaching we guys can learn a thing or two from time to time.

At the end of each trip, my wife, her sister-in-laws and her mother throw their Maui leis out into the ocean. If the leis come back, then it’s a sign that you’ll be returning. Fortunately, it seems like they’ve come back every time, and so have we.

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