Congratulations To The 93rd Lei Court!

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Congratulations To The 93rd Lei Court!
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Congratulations to the 93rd Lei Court!

O‘AHU – Mayor Blangiardi and the City and County of Honolulu Department of Parks and Recreation are proud to announce the members of the 93rd Lei Court!

•Queen Natalie Brown Ah Quin
•First Princess Kalehua Tolentino
•Princess Kēhau Holi-Robb

It was a beautiful celebration of Native Hawaiian culture and all things lei at Kapolei Hale, as part of the Lei Court Selection on Saturday, March 5, 2022, with hula, ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, and of course lei-making! Mahalo to all of the fantastic participants and the jubilant spectators who attended the selection event.

Natalie Brown Ah Quin is a graduate of ‘Aiea High School, an alumna of University of Hawai‘i Leeward O‘ahu, and a proud wife and mother. She danced hula for her Great Aunt Kumu Hula Ku‘ulei Clark and continued with Kumu Hula Aloha Dalire, performing here in Hawai‘i and in Japan. Natalie has enjoyed lei-making since she was a child, learning the techniques from her mother while developing the ability to grow her own flowers and foliage from her grandma. After retiring from managing and owning a contemporary photography studio for over 30 years, Natalie and her husband now own a floral arrangement business, bringing her lei-making experience full circle!

Kalehua Tolentino is a Mililani High graduate and Kapi‘olani Community College alumna, who currently works as the Education and Cultural Curriculum Coordinator for the Queen’s Health Systems’ Native Hawaiian Health Department. Her favorite part of the job is the Ola Hou I Ka Hula Program (dancing hula for health), which bridges science and culture. She remembers weaving her first lei wili of purple bougainvillea and mock orange leaves, crediting her improvement as a lei maker to dancing hula for half her life. Currently, she enjoys making lei from pua gathered by her grandson in her father’s garden, and dancing hula to her husband’s song.

Kēhau Holi-Robb is a Kapolei resident originally from Nānākuli, and a proud sister, wife, mother, and grandma. After retiring from a career at Bank of Hawai‘i, she continues to motivate and educate the younger generation by assisting with keiki early education programs while pursuing her culinary passion. Following a decade of participation in the King Kamehameha Floral Celebration Parade, she currently serves as a haumana of Hālau nā Mamo o Pu‘uanahulu under the direction of Kumu Sonny Ching and Lopaka Igarta-DeVera.

The Lei Court will preside over the 94th Annual Lei Day Celebration festivities, and will be the City’s Ambassadors of Aloha at a variety of public events.

For the first time since 2019, the Lei Day Celebration is scheduled to return to Kapi‘olani Park on Sunday, May 1, 2022 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The theme for the celebration is Lei Wao Nahele (forest lei).

Along with Hawaiian entertainment, demonstrations, and exhibits, the celebration event will feature a lei contest exhibit showcasing some of the most exquisitely crafted lei in a variety of colors and methods.

The first Lei Day was celebrated on May 1, 1927 with a few people wearing lei in downtown Honolulu. Over time, more and more people began to wear lei on May 1, and thus began the tradition of “May Day is Lei Day in Hawai‘i.” The first lei Queen, Miss Nina Bowman, was crowned by Honolulu Mayor Charles Arnold in 1928. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when large, in-person events were restricted, our island community found innovative ways to celebrate this uniquely Hawaiian holiday. This included a video presentation to mark Lei Day in 2021, and the Nā Lei Koa in 2020 to honor our first responders.

For more information about the Lei Court Selection, Lei Day Celebration, and an awesome historical write-up of the history of Lei Day in Hawai‘i visit bit.ly/HonoluluLeiDay

Funding provided by Hawai‘i Tourism Authority Kūkulu Ola Program, Hula Grill Waikīkī, Handcrafters and Artisans Alliance, and Friends of Honolulu Parks and Recreation.

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First Friday Hawaii News Item

Congratulations To The 93rd Lei Court!

First Friday Hawaii
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