Making Lei
What a beautiful Hawaiian tradition of sharing a lei as a symbol of love, friendship, special occasions, welcome and so long. Making a lei has always been a joy, from picking the flowers, foliage, and seeds to stringing the lei together and then ultimately sharing it with others and making a hat lei for myself.
I'm certainly not an expert in the art of making lei but I don't think I have to be in order to enjoy the experience. I use anything I want from the garden. Some plant material hold up longer then other material but it's just a matter of preference. There is however several specific lei weaving methods: Haku, Hilo, Humupapa, Kui, Kipu`u and Wili.
See below the City and County of Honolulu Parks & Recreation publication for illustrations and a brief description of each method. Also check out the Resources & References page for more lei making information.