The residents adorn their vehicles with as many lights as possible, parading them through the streets; and have their Christmas fir trees shipped over on the Xmas Tree Ship, way ahead of time. Christmas is a real mix of all the different cultures and religions settled on the tropical island, but it is embraced with vigour. Christmas carols are sung in Hawaiian and are accompanied by the ukulele and Christmas day is usually celebrated with a community Luau, with everyone heading to the beach at some point to surf and swim. Santa hats and festive Leis are worn with their Hawaiian shirts, shorts and bikinis. Even Santa goes barefoot and wears a Hawaiian Shirt as he goes about his deliveries on a canoe pulled by dolphins.

A fun game to play at your Christmas Luau is the ‘Makepano Gift Exchange’. Ask each guest to bring a small present – preferably one they have received and haven’t used – which is wrapped. On arrival, guests place their gift under your lei-adorned Christmas tree. At some point in the evening, the gifts are handed out. It can be fun to encourage your guests to try and barter with each other, exchanging their presents until they get something they all want.

Famous Hawaiians – Barack Obama; Bette Midler; Nicole Kidman

Beach/Hawaiian TV & Film – Hawaii Five-0; Baywatch; Jaws; Blue Hawaii, Lilo & Stitch; Pearl Harbor; Gidget Goes Hawaiian; Beaches

Hollywood Stars who live/lived in Hawaii – Roseanne Barr; Oprah Winfrey; Randy Travis; Lance Armstrong; Drew Barrymore; Jack Johnson

The tranquil paradise setting of Hawaii lures the stars in their droves. Who can blame them from owning second homes in an idyllic setting where they can kick back on beaches, hang-10 on their surfboards and enjoy a pina colada or two in peace?

As well as providing a beautiful getaway destination, Hawaii is also the perfect inspirational backdrop to many a movie including The Hulk; Avatar; George of the Jungle; Raiders of the Lost Ark; South Pacific; Starsky & Hutch and The Beachcombers.

So enjoy Hawaiian life in star-style – don some stylish shades, dip your toes in the paddling pool and sip cocktails from coconut cups with plenty of cocktail umbrellas, fruit filled picks, and colourful stirrers. Surround yourselves with Hibiscus Foil Balloons to create an authentic setting and Limbo away to your heart’s content.

Take a look at our cute Luau Pumpkin and Ghost Foil Airwalker Balloons. They are fantastic for greeting and mingling with guests. Instead of going all out blood and gore, you could focus on the spiritual side of Hawaiian culture and decorate your party with Tiki Cutouts, Totem Poles, Fire Dancers and Inflatable Tiki Poles – all of which are quite alien to us in the UK. So why not add just a touch of ghoulishness to your Luau and have the best of both worlds.

Although Halloween is not traditionally celebrated in Hawaii, for spiritual reasons, it has become more popular in latter years as a family and tourist event.

Decorate your party room with a Beach Scene Setter, add a Surfer Couple Cut-out prop and some Surfboard cut-outs around the room for a Surfer’s Paradise feel. Impose a beachwear dress code (boardies, Hawaiian Shirts, bikinis and grass skirts) to get the guests in a surfing mood, whack on some Beach Boys classics on the stereo and get surfing, Dude! For a perfect way to keep those tinnies chilled, grab an Inflatable Surfboard Drinks cooler. Your fellow party goers are sure to be stoked as they carve up the dance floor and ride the sound waves of your beach party.

Decorate your garden with Deck Fringing, Tropical cut-outs and paper lanterns, Fill your tables with votive candles, tropical cocktails and Hawaiian themed tableware – ready for all that delicious barbecued food. Finally, before your guests arrive, slip into your favourite Hawaiian Shirt – we particularly like Kama Kula’s Low Rider design in pink- and party shades. With such a range of Grass Skirts and Leis available, ladies can co-ordinate their outfits to match their swimwear with effortless style.

When the Luau is in full swing and all the food has been eaten and the drinks are flowing nicely, how about some fun garden games to keep everyone amused? ‘Bat & ball’; Limbo; space hoppers; Piñatas – your imagination is the only limit.

Finish off the occasion and say Aloha! with some Polynesian party bags for the children (and adults) filled with Flip Flop favors, sweets and Tropical Confetti.

Ingredients:
• 3 large Maui onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp celery seed

Preparation:
• In a saucepan, mix the sugar, vinegar and water. Bring to a boil then remove from the stove and allow to cool. You are creating a marinade.
• Place finely chopped onions in a bowl and pour the marinade over the onions. Stir. Refrigerate this mixture overnight.
• Remove from the fridge and drain the liquid from the onions. Discard the liquid. Mix the onions, mayonnaise and celery seed to create your dip. Refrigerate until needed.
• Serve with your favorite crackers or chips.

Chicken Lu’au

Ingredients:
• 1 whole chicken cut into pieces
• 1 tablespoon vegetable or canola oil
• water as needed
• 1-2 lbs of taro leaves (or substitute with spinach leaves)
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
• salt
• 1 cup of coconut milk

Preparation:
• Heat the oil in a large pot.
• Add the chicken pieces and brown lightly, turning frequently.
• Add enough water to cover the chicken. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Pour out the liquid.
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter or margarine in the pot and then add the drained chicken.
• Season with salt to taste and simmer. Add the taro leaves (or spinach), as well as 1 cup coconut milk to the chicken. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve.

Banana Bread – a traditional offering at a Luau

Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups mashed ripe bananas
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup macadamia nuts, pecans or walnuts – roughly chopped / crushed

Preparation:
• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius / Gas Mark 4
• Grease and flour a loaf tin.
• In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar until pale and creamy.
• In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• Blend all of the dry ingredients with creamed butter/sugar mixture.
• Add mashed bananas, eggs and nuts.
• Pour into the loaf tin.
• Bake for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean.

Hawaii Ponoī

Nānā i kou mōī,
Be loyal to your king,
Ka lani alii,
Your country’s liege and lord
Ke alii.
The chief.
Hawaii ponoī,
Hawaii’s own true sons,
Nānā i nā alii,
Look to your chiefs,
Nā pua muli kou,
The children after you,
Nā pōkii.
The young.
Hawaii ponoī,
Hawaii’s own true sons,
E ka lahui ē,
People of loyal heart,
O kou hana nui
The only duty lies
E ui ē.
List and abide.

Hui:
Chorus:
Makua lani ē,
Father above us all,
Kamehameha ē,
Kamehameha e,
Na kāua e pale,
Who guarded in the war,
Me ka ihe.
With his spear.

May 1st is the ‘Lei Day’ – the Hawaiian National Day to celebrate the Lei. The idea was conceived by poet Don Blanding back in 1927. On ‘Lei Day’ in 2007, Honolulu set the World Record for the World’s Longest Lei, measuring 5336 feet long.

‘Lei’ is the Hawaiian word for a garland or wreath to be worn. It is generally made from fresh flowers, leaves and vines.

In Hawaiian culture, the Lei is presented to a person on arrival or departure as a sign of affection and hung around their neck. They are often given on birthdays, weddings, graduations, funerals and weddings. It is not uncommon for a person to wear so many that they reach to their ears.

• Aloha! – Hello / Goodbye
• Ho’okomo – Enter / come in
• O wai kou inoa? – What’s your name?
• O … ko’u inoa. – My name is…
• Lama pa’i pa’i – Cocktail
• Huli pau! – Cheers!
• Mai e ‘ai – Come and eat.
• Hoapili – Close friend
• Hau’oli la hanau – Happy Birthday
• Hula – Hawaiian way of communicating through dance
• Lei – a flower garland
• Luau – party
• Inu – a drink
• Ku’u aku, ho’onanea, luana – Relax
• Mahalo – Thank you

The Hawaiian language consists of just 12 letters. 5 vowels – a, e, i, o, u and 7 consonants – h, k, l, m, n, p and w. A Consonant is always followed by a vowel, therefore, all Hawaiian words end in a vowel. The letter ‘W’ is often pronounced as ‘V’ – as it was traditionally pronounced. Hawaiian words are often long and look quite daunting to someone trying to learn the language. It is easier to break a word down into the syllables to get the hang of it.
For example:
“lama pa’ipa’i” (cocktail) : la-ma-pa-i-pa-i

Aloha!

The Hawaiian for surfing is “he’enalu”. It is a core aspect of the Polynesian culture – not merely a pastime or adrenalin sport. The best surfer is the Chief (Kahuna), and he would have the most superior surfboard made from the best tree. Socially, it was divisive. The upper classes would have access to the best beaches and the best materials, whilst the lower classes would have to use other beaches and heavier wood. The only way to break the divide would be for someone from the lower classes to prove themselves with excellent surfing skills on their more cumbersome surfboards.

Surfing for the Ancient Hawaiians was a spiritual event. They prayed to the Gods to help them master the great oceans. If the tide was tame, the Hawaiian people would enlist the help of the local priest (kahuna) to help them pray to the Gods for great surf. The priest would help the surfers by leading them in a spiritual building of their surfboards. After selecting the tree for their boards, the surfers would dig out the tree and place fish in the holes as an offering to the Gods. Once this offering was in place, local craftsmen would them shape and prepare the boards. This service was usually only offered to the upper classes.

Waikiki Beach and Kahalu’u Bay are still popular with today’s surfers. Although we associate surfing with tropical settings of Hawaii, it is also a sport which springs to mind when we think of Australia. It was the Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku who introduced the art of surfing to the people of Sydney in 1915. Surfing is now second nature to most Australians living near the coast.

Modern day surfing has it’s own culture and is stereotypically enjoyed by Bermuda short wearing dudes with sun-bleached hair and shark-tooth necklaces. Other images conjured up by the term ‘surfboarding’ are bikinis, wetsuits, beach campfires, BBQs and shell jewellery. It is, however, enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities as a fitness activity, social pastime or competitively as a career. You don’t even need to travel to far flung beaches to experience the high-adrenalin thrill of surfing though, as Scotland and Cornwall have a history of very good surf conditions. Newquay has a host of fine beaches with fantastic surfing conditions – perhaps the best known being Fistral Beach.