I should have posted this earlier...tonight is the last night of the MMF...the annual Hula Competition here in Hilo. You can see streaming video on www.thehawaiichannel.com. I am not sure it is on all day or just in the evening (starts 6:30 here in Hawaii)...REALLY big. There are two kinds of hula...Kahiko which is the old form (my favorite)...especially when the men dance it - then there is 'auana which is the 'modern' hula (changed by the Missionaries as they didn't like the energies and the sensualities of the Kahiko)...
So to see the BEST of the BEST...and the music is awesome... FYI
Carol
PS...called the Merrie Monarch Festival because King Kalakaua II loved parties, music and the Hawaiian arts...and he 'revived' the hula and it's popularity.
OT - Merrie Monarch Festival
I checked out some of the streaming video. Awesome! I would have loved to be there. It made me very, very, homesick!
Susan
Susan...
It is an awesome feeling in the stadium!! I love going to the crafts show that goes along with it...artisans from all over Hawaii come and there is a feeling of Aloha (love and respect) and ohana (family) you can cut with a knife. The first year we were here we were given tickets and while it was interesting...and the same aloha was felt x a billion, TV or Computer is the best way to watch it as the comments and observations are most interesting!! Hula is an integral part of life here...it is not just a body moving and expressing words using their hands...every color, flower that are worn have significance...Really a very high art form!!!
Glad you got to see some.