Mele Kalikimaka and Hau’oli Makahiki Hou

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mele Kalikimaka - Merry Christmas. The words "Mele Kalikimaka" are a phonetic translation. When the missionaries and other Westerners first brought the custom of Christmas to the islands the Hawaiians had difficulty pronouncing Merry Christmas and turned it into words that rolled more easily off their tongues. The hawaiian language did not have a word for Christ.

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou - Happy New Year. The western Christmas and New Year fell during this same time of the year that the Hawaiians traditionally honored the earth for giving them plenty to eat. This period of resting and feasting was called Makahiki (mah-kah-HEE- kee). It lasted for 4 months, and no wars or conflicts were allowed during this time. Because makahiki also means "year", the Hawaiian phrase for "Happy New Year" became "Hau'oli (happy) Makahiki (year) Hou (new)"(how-OH-lee mah-kah-hee-kee).

I got my NEW camera a few weeks ago and finally have had a chance to view pictures and work on updates. Bob's parents are visiting for a few weeks from New Jersey, Kris is here from San Diego, Bob is off work all next week so some sightseeing excursions are in the works! Cooler Hawaii temps right now, hazy skies, some rain yesterday for Christmas Day which helped make it feel a little more like the holidays. Here are some pics of what has been going on for the past few weeks: