Even if you've never been to Hawaii, you're probably familiar with the lei. A lei is a flower necklace that is often given to visitors and people on special occasions. Leis are basically synonymous with Hawaii and they make wonderful gifts that people treasure. But before you gift someone a lei, or are gifted one, learn a little more about the floral adornment below.

 

Originally, it was the Polynesians who made leis. The original leis were made with not only flowers but with feathers, bones, shells as well as other things. When Polynesians came to the island of Hawaii they offered leis as a peace offering. Soon, the original inhabitants started making and wearing them just to beautify themselves. Besides Kona coffee gifts, leis are as common in Hawaii as gold necklaces are on the main land. And so they soon became an icon of the island. And of course, anything that represents an area on an iconic level soon becomes tourist gold.

 

Leis can be worn at any time. Although they are often gifted on special occasions, it is perfectly fine to wear a lei on a trip to the grocery store. However, some leis are considered more formal. Leis with nuts are deemed fancier. When it comes to leis there aren't many rules. Which shouldn't be surprising because Hawaiians are notoriously laid back people but there are few rules.

 

One thing you never want to do is refuse a lei that someone is offering you. This is considered to be a huge display of disrespect. Hawaiian wedding flowers and leis should be worn so that they hang down in the front as well as the back. Many people put them on like necklaces where they are close against the back of the neck and only hang down in the front. And you never want to take off a lei that was given to you in front of the person who gave it to you. If you need to remove a lei, then you should go into another room and discreetly remove it.

 

As a last note, I would like to mention that although I have referred to more than one lei as 'leis' in this article, in Hawaiian there is no plural form of lei. Whether you have one lei or 1 million, the correct word is just lei. Related articles pertaining to this are provided at http://www.ehow.com/info_8182550_hawaiian-flowers-used-leis.html. However, English speakers are so accustomed to pluralizing words that I have used a plural from here and you will often see the world in a plural form in Hawaiian shops that cater to tourists.