HawaiiScene.com

The culture at the Hawaiian Islands is extraordinarily diverse, reflecting its varied inhabitants for over 1500 years. Furthermore each island has its own unique cultural imprint but all share the same passion and love of dance and music, the most internationally famous expression of Hawaiian culture being the Hula. The Hula combines dance and music with storytelling and all the islands celebrate this core part of their culture each year in a Merrie Monarch Festival. Music itself is also a special part of Hawaiian culture that has been passed down through generations and many varied genres of Hawaiian music can still be heard on the Islands including luau, kolohe, jawaiian, chalangalang, and hapa-haole, which has a Hawaiian melody and English lyrics.Aside from the Hula, which may be more immediately associated with the Hawaiian Islands, an important aspect of the culture at the Hawaiian Islands is surfing. Originating from a more dangerous form of the sport enjoyed by ancient royalty, surfing now plays a significant part in Hawaiian culture with over 1500 surf spots around the Islands.

In recent years the Hawaiian language has been brought back to continue to shape the culture at the Hawaiian Islands with most schools now teaching the once almost extinct language. Given the Islands‘ diverse inhabitants, ranging form China to Portugal and the South Pacific, it is unsurprising that very few Hawaiians remain and the language should gradually die out. It consists of just eight consonants and five vowels, making it the shortest alphabet in the world but it also contains one of the most famous words in the world. ‚Aloha‘ meaning both hello and goodbye, but it is also a word used in the culture at the Hawaiian Islands to reflect sentiments of love and sympathy and is more than a word, it is a core value in Hawaiian cultural beliefs.

Whilst the Hawaiian Islands now make up the 50th State of the United States of America, the culture at the Hawaiian Islands takes very much from the Islands‘ Tahitian routes and mana, which is spiritual power or energy that exists in all things. Indeed spirituality is still a substantial part of the culture at the Hawaiian Islands with some ancient temples still standing and open to the public. Legends, passed down through generations of Hawaiians, reflect this emphasis on spirituality and are in themselves part of the culture at the Hawaiian Islands.