Lei Day: It starts with a garden

IN the South Beretania Street side of the Honolulu Museum of Art School, there is a garden full of lei flowers.

Master lei maker Brian Choy planted this demonstration garden about six months ago, personally donating the baby red ti plants, a green-rose bush, cup-and-saucer vine, ohia lehua, ilima, bougainvillea, geraniums, pohinahina, palapalai ferns and mao, a native cotton plant. On a nearby plot he’s also planted crown flowers and bleeding hearts.

Choy, 67, tends to this garden daily as a volunteer. With May Day just around the corner, lei makers across the isles are doing the same, hoping to cultivate flowers and materials to put forth their best creations.

The theme of the city’s 86th Lei Day celebration on Wednesday is "Lei Ali’i ‘A’ala," meaning "Fragrant, Prestigious Lei."

The Mayor’s Grand Prize comes with a $500 award and a purple ribbon, with cash prizes of $50 to $200 offered in various categories within four divisions.

The free Lei Day Celebration, held annually on May 1, will also feature lei displays; music and hula; craft, lei and food vendors; and Kulana Lei, a village of Hawaiian artisans, from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at Kapiolani Park.

Any serious lei maker needs to have his or her own garden, said Choy, who has won numerous competitions and taught many workshops. He shares his knowledge of how to plant a lei garden as part of a three-class workshop he teaches at the museum every year.

A personal garden offers firsthand knowledge and easy access to the necessary materials, according to Choy, who remembers wonderful but time-consuming treks to the neighbor islands to gather ohia lehua. He’s also relied on flora from the gardens of family and friends.

"First of all, you don’t find most of the lei flowers in retail," he said. "It saves so much time."

Choy announced in 2008 that he was retiring from the May Day competition after a legacy of 30 consecutive years of entries. He’ll be traveling instead of competing this year but hasn’t ruled out competitions in the future.

"I really enjoy making competition lei," he said. "I enjoy competing from time to time. It’s always been on a friendly basis."

His advice for a making a winning lei: Make it different, show a sense a design and make sure it’s wearable and has a pleasant scent.

All lei for the competition must be made in one or a combination of six methods: haku (braiding flowers, leaves and/or fruit), hili (braiding a single plant material), humupapa (sewn to a foundation of dried banana fiber), kui (strung together), kipuu (a knotting technique) and wili (winding).

All must be wearable and made with natural plant materials, including flowers, leaves, stems, roots, fruits and seeds. Wire is not allowed.

Entries will not be returned. Each year the lei are taken to a ceremony at Mauna ‘Ala, the Royal Mausoleum in Nuuanu, on May 2.

DARLA Neves, director of Aiea District Park, has been teaching free city-sponsored lei workshops for more than 15 years. Participants include elementary school kids, teens and parent-and-keiki teams.

Her lessons start in a small garden she helped plant next to the recreation center that contains ti, crown flower, hinahina (Spanish moss), ginger and plumeria that can be used in lei.

Participants learn how to identify flowers and plants, when and how to pick them, and how to prepare them before assembling the lei. They also learn to have patience.

It’s all about nurturing the next generation of lei makers, she said.

The greatest reward is seeing the students’ faces light up after they’ve completed a lei.

"They’re excited that they made it and want to give it to someone — their teacher, their auntie," she said. "The whole idea of a lei is choosing the best flowers. When you give it to a person, it’s special, knowing that you made it. That’s precious."

She also teaches her students how important it is to have good feelings while making a lei instead of anger or frustration. Just like with cooking, she says, you want it to come from the heart and put love into it.

Every year, Department of Parks and Recreation employees help out at the Lei Day event, wearing lei they have made themselves.

Contest judge Jamie Adams Detwiler, also the 2010 lei queen, says it’s wonderful to see increased participation from both youth and adults. Detwiler grew up making lei as part of her family’s culture; her aunt is master lei maker Marie MacDonald.

"I look for creativity in the use of different plant materials and make sure they’re within the guidelines," she said. "I also look for technical expertise."

Lei Day judge Ray Wong, who’s won numerous awards and officially retired from the contest in 1986, was inspired in his day by renowned competitors such as the MacDonalds, Pomroys and Choys.

"There’s always the one lei that’s going to stand out, either because it’s subtle or it just says, ‘I’m the winner,’" he said. "It’s all in the beholder’s eyes."

When he was competing, Wong would start preparing for the next Lei Day contest the day after the previous one. He remembers trips to neighbor isles to gather lehua, which he would later grow in his own yard. He has fond memories, too, of gathering maile up in the mountains.

"The scent is mind-boggling," he said. "May Day is a fantastic day. It’s just like Christmas."

Brian Choy’s next lei-making workshop is Sept. 29, Oct. 6 and 13 at the Honolulu Museum of Art School, 1111 Victoria St. Participants must attend all three classes. Call 532-8741 or email artschool@ honolulumuseum.org.