Free Research Paper On The Cultural Custom Of The Hawaiian Luau

Abstract

Various communities in the world have varying beliefs, cultures, and customs. The people of these communities are bound by these customs which tend to also serve as the rules and laws of the communities. The culture of the Hawaiian is one of the many cultures in the world. This culture guides its followers both in practice and belief. The people of this culture are well known for their practice of community charity. Hawaiian culture entails many aspects for example religion, marriage and family social customs and lifestyle. The historical phenomenon of separating the aspects of the Hawaiian culture from religious practices is known as Hawaiian Secularization. This essay will shed light on the cultural custom of the Hawaiian Luau, culture, and thought.

Introduction

The Hawaiian Luaus is an indigenous form of tourist event that occurs to enable other people from different sections of the earth to comprehend the Hawaiian culture. In the event, there are exceptional situations that are left out like weddings and birthdays. Since their existence, the luaus have evolved to become more of potluck society where they are welcomed to the feast (Rees, 2013). The celebration is set for a buffet event where all the aspects of the Hawaiian culture are shared with the world. In cultural events of the Hawaiian Luaus, people get to share the cultural foods like the roast meat, some get an opportunity to meet relatives and make merry together (Kunstler, 2012). The uniqueness about this cultural celebration is that the Hawaiian themselves prepare the food and entertainment to their extended relatives so as to celebrate together. The paper intends to open a discourse on the Cultural Custom of the Hawaiian Luau.

Cultural Customs

Language
Hawaiians have their unique language; the Hawaiian language is unique that it only five major vowels and eight known consonants. It the language that has the shortest alphabet as recorded in world, the uniqueness is also seen in how the language is soft while spoken (Kunstler, 2012). The soft sounds that are produced while speaking the language are known to have hidden meaning. Aloha is an example of a Hawaiian word that is widely known in the world yet it is an important word in the Hawaiian culture (Hall, 2014). The word Aloha can have different meanings depending on how it is softly spoken in Hawaiian, it can either mean love, goodbye or hello. Sometimes it can also mean compassion, kindness, affection, sympathy or fondness (Rees, 2013). The word Aloha is significant in Hawaii since it holds the core values of Hawaiian life which is an exhibition of both love and kindness. Other words in Hawaiian language are Akahai, oluolu and ahonui they mean gentle, pleasant and patient respectively (Hall, 2014).

The Hula

The hula is a Hawaiian art of swaying hips, since its inception into the Hawaiian culture, it has evolved to fit the contemporary Hawaiian society. Initially, the hula dance was for men and was performed during religious functions (Hall, 2014). Contemporarily the art involves both women and men swaying their hips during cultural dances for enjoyment and expression of love (Kunstler, 2012). The dance currently can be defined both ways which are in the contemporary context and the ancient way of performing the art. The dance is always accompanied by Hawaiian drum beats and music in Hawaiian language and other percussions in Hawaiian culture are also performed. It is a colorful event that includes music, drum beats, pianos and guitars (Hall, 2014). The modern dance has also included a colorful way of dressing where women wear decorated clothing to impress men by swaying their hips.

The Birthday Culture

In Hawaii, it is a custom for all the families to celebrate a child’s birthday regardless of the child’s originality. The first birthday is the most important as it is regarded as a milestone in the Hawaiian culture; the celebrations are known as Luau (Hiner, 2014). Though, the celebrations are specifically made for the childbirth, other roles are also performed like dedicating the child for a particular role like sport, superhero or leader (Rees, 2013). The celebration often includes members of the large family of the child since Hawaiians have a communism kind of existence. Mini tribes like Samoan, Tongans, Polynesians and Maori are well known to celebrate even the 21st birthday with colorful parties (Kunstler, 2012).

Wedding Culture

The Hawaiians are known to fold crane before their weddings so as to have the best luck during and after the wedding. Families and friends are also known to toast to the bride as a way to guarantee the newly weeded couple a long life after the wedding (Hiner, 2014). The dance cannot end without the famous money dances also known as the pandango where the newly weeded dance while the guests are supposed to wish the bride and groom good life ever after (Kunstler, 2012).
Apart from the cultural side of the Hawaiians, there is a whole other geographical side of the wonderful Hawaii (Hall, 2014). When one goes around the islands, the beautiful beaches and blue sea will be considered part of the Hawaiian culture as per environmental standards. Hawaiians are also known for the great work they do in order to protect their environment; they always clean up the trash so as not to interfere with the native species (Rees, 2013).

Conclusion

The Hawaiian is an interesting society known for their wonderful traditional feast that is meant to mark the various occasion as discussed in the paper. Victorious battles, the birth of a child and bumper harvest were some of the reasons for the Hawaiians to celebrate with a colorful party. One cannot speak about Hawaiians without mentioning the Luaus dances, which ancient had taboos but currently both men and women sway their hips to celebrate the traditions. Hawaiian custom is also unique because of the food; in a cultural celebration, food and entertainment were abundant for all.

References

Hall, C. M., & Page, S. J. (2014). The Geography of Tourism and Recreation: Environment, Place, and Space 4th Edition: Environment, Place, and Space. Routledge.
Hiner, C. C., Townsend, C. G., & Lavy, B. L. (2014). Harm J. de Blij’s 1983 Wine: A Geographic Appreciation. Progress in Physical Geography, 38(5), 674-684.
Kunstler, J. H. (2012). The geography of nowhere. Kaplan, D. H., & Holloway, S. (2014). Urban geography. Wiley Global Education.
Rees, P. W., & Legates, M. (2013). Returning “region” to world regional geography. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 37(3), 327-349.