The annual Merrie Monarch Festival held in Hilo Hawai’i has come to an end after a week-long celebration of culture, tradition, language and song.
The Festival in its 61st year brings together the community for the preservation and promotion of the art of hula and Hawaiian culture. The festivities also include the annual parade and an invitational arts fair.
The festival is not only a tribute to their beloved former monarch King David La’amea Kalākaua (known as the Merri Monarch) who was appointed King of the Hawaiian nation in 1874 and ruled until 1891, but also a tribute to the 40th anniversary of the Hawaiian language revitalisation movement.
Haʻamauliola Aiona, a teacher at Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu charter school and a veteran dancer for Hilo’s Hālau O Ka Ua Kani Lehua spoke to Hawaii Public Radio and says for anyone who knows about the Merrie Monarch Festival and anyone who grew up in Hilo where it is held, knows this is their time to shine.
Aiona says she is pleased her students took part and understand their role in the movement of the 40th anniversary.
The stakes were also high for the groups performing in the Hula Kahiko and Hula ‘Auana competition on the stage in Hilo where the hula group, Ka Lā ʻŌnohi Mai O Haʻehaʻe, took first place.
