What is a Hawaiian Luau? A Brief History of the Hawaiian Luau

The Luau is an ancient Polynesian and Hawaiian ritual and a popular social event. Its purpose is to bring the people of a town together to celebrate a major life event, achievement, war victory, or the launch of a new canoe. This celebration was originally called “aha’aina,” which means “gathering meal.” Its main focus is eating traditional foods like kalua pig, lomi salmon, poi, and haupia with friends and family while watching hula and listening to traditional Hawaiian music.

Before the 19th century, religious practices in ancient Hawaii for the ‘aha’aina included rules about the type of food eaten, who it was eaten with, and what it meant. Men and women ate separately at feasts, and common people and all women of all classes were not allowed to eat traditional Hawaiian foods like reef fish, moi, pork, and bananas. Only the ‘Alii,’ or “chiefs” of ancient Hawaii, and the King were allowed to eat these foods. In 1819, King Kamehameha II ended the religious practices of the ‘aha’aina. To mark these changes and show that big changes had just happened in society, he held a feast where he ate with women. This was the first luau, which is still held today. The feast was called a luau, which means “taro plant,” after one of its most popular dishes: chicken and taro plant leaves baked in coconut milk.

The traditional feast was eaten on large woven mats made of ti leaves called lauhalas. Diners sat on the floor and ate with their hands. Beautiful centerpieces of ferns, leaves, and flowers surrounded the center. Platters of meat, like lomi salmon and kalua pig (pork cooked in an underground oven called an imu), and bowls of poi, a traditional Polynesian dish made from taro plant corn, were set out on the mats. Dried fish, sweet potatoes, and bananas were placed directly on the lauhala.

In ancient Hawaii, the royal luaus were big, fancy events with a lot of food and anywhere from 100 to over a thousand people at a single feast. In 1847, Kamehameha III held the biggest luau. It took 271 pigs, 482 large gourds filled with poi, 3,125 saltwater fish, 1,820 freshwater fish, 2,245 coconuts, and 4,000 taro plants to make the feast. The “Merry Monarch,” King Kalakaua, also held a big luau. This one was for his 50th birthday, and more than 1,500 people were invited.

In the 1960s, the love of Hawaiian culture and the fast growth of tourism to the islands made luaus more popular. They went from being events just for friends and family to being popular tourist spots. Today, people can go to royal luaus in Hawaii, which are a long-standing tradition. At these parties, they can learn about traditional Hawaiian customs, food, and entertainment.

Topic: What is a Hawaiian Luau? A Brief History of the Hawaiian Luau

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By: Travel Pixy