Written by Joelle Cantiberos, Blue Zones Project - Hawai‘i Ambassador

One practice in our Hawaiian culture is the custom of lei making. Lei is a garland given to others as a symbol of affection. It is a simple gesture that can create and show your connection with another person, whether that be friendship, honor, or love. It is the embodiment of the word aloha. Today, it is used for many purposes: to greet guests, as a celebration or congratulatory gift on a birthday or at graduation, and is used in the practice of hula. There are many different types of lei and many local plants are used for the process. A few types of lei include a simple lei pua melia (plumeria lei), two types of ti leaf lei, and a lei poʻo (crown lei).

Wahiawa Rainbow Seniors, a Blue Zones Project Participating Organization

When applying this tradition of lei making, you also promote healthy nudges and gain many benefits that align with Blue Zones Project’s Power 9^®. Starting from gardening and cultivating the different plants, you go outdoors and move naturally in order to maintain them. From watering our plants daily to the time we get in movement by picking our flowers and leaves. In addition, when it comes to lei making, it can be very calming and relaxing. The process can be used as a way to downshift from my daily activities and work to make something rewarding. Let’s also not forget the fragrance and aroma of the pua. Then, when it comes time for a large number of lei to be made, such as graduation or some special occasion, people can gather during social hour and go through the process making lei together. All in all, there are many advantages of lei making on our well-being and creating a healthy lifestyle.

Next time you need to get moving or downshift, or if you have a celebration or just celebrating yourself, explore your garden and make a lei! Check out these quick demos on how to make a Lei Pua Melia, a Ti Leaf Lei, and a Lei Po’o.

Lei Pua Melia

This type of lei is fairly easy and not many materials are needed. When picking pua melia (plumeria flowers), they die and wilt very quickly, especially in our hot and muggy weather. A tip is to dip them in ice cold water before using them. This will keep it stimulated, making the flower think it is still on the tree. Pua melia have a very sweet and strong fragrance and are commonly grown throughout communities.

Ti Leaf Lei

Ti leaf lei is a very convenient lei due to the vast amount of plants present on the islands and their easy maintenance and growth. Ti leaves are known to ward off bad and evil spirits. They are commonly grown around one’s house and used in blessings in order to grant people good fortune. One type of lei is a simple twist, while the other is meant to mock a maile (vine) lei. There are many different versions of this lei, some can be intertwined with strung flower leis or incorporated within their twisting. There is no original fragrant to the ti leaves, but they do last a long time when refrigerated.

Lei Po’o

Lei poʻo, or crown leis, are common showy leis due to their incorporation of many different kinds of flowers. The process is very time consuming and it’s pretty difficult to master. When making lei poʻo, you may pick flowers and leaves near your home or buy a bouquet of flowers from the store. When used in hula, matching kupeʻe (bracelet, anklet) are made to be a part of the dancers costumes. These types of lei are quite pricey and one can really benefit from making them on their own!