may day 101

We moved her almost four months ago and almost right away the kids started talking about how they are learning a hula dance at school.  Eva also said that she was making a turtle necklace in class.  I thought it was great but I had no idea what they were for.  Come to find out, the May Day production at school is a huge deal in HI (okay, and at risk of sharing how, um, special I can be, I was picturing a May pole and kids holding ribbons and dancing around it).  Luckily, the last few weeks I started following the tweets of two girls that used to live in HI, Salty Pineapple and Simply Modern Mom.  I say luckily because at the beginning of the month they started posting about May Day traditions.  Thanks to them, when the note came home two days before the program saying that they would need aloha wear and leis, I was prepared. 

Friends all said to arrive early.  So we did. That's kind of a miracle for us.  We chatted with friends and snapped a few photos while we waited for the program.

 Sweet Samuel in his aloha shirt.  Karl put him in this shirt a couple of weeks ago for church.  I said that we needed to save it for May Day.  That comment sounded dumb, even to me.  But they humored my bossiness and put a different shirt on him.   Samuel came home from church with his shirt ripped all the way up the front.  I hate it when my being controlling pays off.  Look at his hair.  I am glad my mom isn't here with her scissors.  

 Here he is with is with his classmates.  I had to laugh when I saw this photo.  Look at the boy behind Samuel.  You might say, "How does a kid rip his shirt all the way up the front?"  This might be one way.

 To start the program, this girl did a hula dance.  She is some sort of hula champion.  Did you know they have hula champions?  Me neither.  Good thing I'm here to enlighten you on these matters.

 Then these boys ran out and blew conches (and reminded me of Lord of the Flies, but then I tried to shake the thought out of my head because that book is gross), to announce the royalty.

 A girl and boy with good citizenship and grades were chosen from each grade.  It used to be a popularity contest, but now it is just randomly picked out of all that qualified.  The kindergarteners were so cute.

 Each couple represented a Hawaiian Island.  Then there was a king and queen.

 After they were all announced.  Each grade performed.  First, they would bow to the royalty, then they would let parents take photos, and then they would dance.  I was so glad that they got Samuel to dance.  He has the hardest time performing.  Samuel was quite proud of his uli uli with red feathers, his favorite color.

 Here is his dad giving him a thumbs up.  Seriously, we always hold our breath and when we know it is time for Samuel to do stuff like this.  Samuel did an awesome job.  No arm crossing, no scowls, no sitting on the floor, no tears.  He actually seemed to be enjoying it.  I couldn't get a video of him, he was in the very back.  I will try and get a copy from a friend.

 Here is Eva's class bowing to the royalty

 Eva held her beginning position the whole time we took photos.  Even when her dad was giving her encouragement.

 She amazed us with her hula skills.  Hula really seems to suit Eva's personality.

So today, I experienced something that I didn't even know existed.  I like that.  My kids LOVED it.  Thanks to garage sales, I spent about $4 to gear up the kids in aloha wear, including Maximus.  I wore a shirty dress thing, too.  Even though the lady that sold it to me was probably there.  Karl talked me into it, then agreed with me when I made fun of myself.  Which is just as bad as making fun of me.  I don't really like dressing up (looking in my closet, it looks like that means wearing anything that isn't plain, gray, or orange) and I don't like performing.  Maybe Samuel gets it from me.

May Day appealed to my crafty self.  Eva's dress was actually a size 10 so I brought the sides in a little.  I also made a couple of different kinds of leis.  A candy one and a ribbon one.  They sell tube-y netting specially made for leis.  I filled them with Hi-Chews (I remember when we could only get these in Japan, now Costco has them.  Hooray!) and lemon head candy (um, recycled from Easter, or maybe even v-day).  To tie them, I used red netting to make a bow and some yellow ribbon.  I was going for the hibiscus with a yellow pistol look.  The kids didn't care, though.  They just saw candy.  Karl said, "Samuel is in his room singing, 'Hi-Chew lei, Lemonhead lei, Hi-Chew lei...'" The ribbon leis, I saw in the museum gift shop, did the google, and before I knew it, Eva was finishing one up.  My friend was so kind to give Eva a flower lei because at the last minute she decided she wanted one.

This May Day program was so awesome, it almost made up for some of these rainy days.  Almost.