Hundreds of same-sex marriage demonstrators assembled along divided lines Friday in the state Capitol courtyard, expressing a raucous mix of opposition and support for Hawaii’s gay-marriage bill as House lawmakers met for a final, pivotal vote on the measure.

Emotions rang out on both sides of a flimsy, 5-foot-wide rope barrier dividing the courtyard almost down the middle, with same-sex marriage supporters on the mauka side and opponents on the makai side.

When it was clear the measure passed Friday night, the mauka side of the courtyard erupted in deafening cheers and hugs — as some in the supporters’ ranks immediately formed a human chain to block any confrontation with opponents. Sheriff’s deputies stood guard in the center of the Capitol as well.

Rep. Richard Fale met with opponents afterward. That group lingered in the courtyard longer for prayer and a rally.

As of 10:30 p.m. the day appeared to end peacefully.

Throughout the day, organizers for and against gay marriage worked together to keep demonstrations relatively calm despite several tense confrontations during a marathon day.

"We don’t want to start a riot here. Can I get an amen?" Kapo­lei resident Horace Chee said as he used a bullhorn to address dozens of same-sex marriage opponents clustered on the courtyard’s makai side.

Chee, a member of a First Assembly of God church in Kapo­lei, also alerted same-sex marriage supporters on the courtyard’s mauka side to expect scores more opponents later in the day so that both sides could ensure civility when they arrived.

"Passions are running high on this issue, and this is the people’s house," said Vanessa Chong, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Hawaii. Chong and other organizers met with Chee sporadically during the day. "There are common concerns," and it’s important that "calmer voices" dominate both sides of the debate, she said.

Passions continued to run high on both sides despite calmer voices. A same-sex marriage opponent compared supporters to jihad­ists. On the other side of the rope, a supporter compared opponents to Nazis.

Throughout the day civility prevailed, mostly. Group prayers, guitar and ukulele strumming, spontaneous dance sessions, renditions of "Amazing Grace" and "God Bless America," and other sights and sounds filled the courtyard.

Demonstrators also battled for acknowledgment and support from drivers on Bere­ta­nia Street, waving signs for and against the bill — along with American, Hawaiian and rainbow flags.

In addition, same-sex marriage opponents’ loud, defiant chants of "Let the people vote!" — a fixture at the Capitol for hours Wednesday — returned Friday.

Chee and several other opposition organizers at one point tried to soften the chant, saying they were portrayed in news reports as "banging on the windows" of the House floor, while supporters were described as the calmer group.

"We are a people of peace," Chee said.

However, as the afternoon progressed — and amendments by bill opponents in the House were repeatedly shot down — the chanting outside the chamber window grew louder.

As bill opponents focused more intensely on the House chamber, some bill supporters drifted toward booths set up on Bere­ta­nia where house and techno music beats pulsed and the mood seemed more jovial.

As the afternoon dragged on, same-sex marriage supporter Audrey Kee­sing sought a place to rest with her dog, Arrow. Kee­sing said she was frustrated by the amendments introduced by opponents during the day, postponing the final vote.

"They’re totally in denial," said Kee­sing, who ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the state House in 1996 in part to promote same-sex marriage.

"For me this is 20 years of waiting," she said, adding she was determined to see the special session to the end.