Hawaiian Weddings
Hawaii has practices numerous amounts of traditions that they incorporate into their weddings. The traditions are both beautiful and moving.
The first tradition that may be seen is called a Hawaiian love circle. A beautiful arrangement of flowers is formed into a ring shape to surround the bride and groom. The soon to be husband and wife remain inside the center of the ring for the entire wedding ceremony. The circle of love includes the island's beautiful land including the floral aspects and the fauna. The circle also is a symbol of the couple's eternal love for one another.
Hawaiian culture has a sand ceremony that is called poured sands. The bride has sand that is colored specifically for her and so does the groom, the colors are never the same. The ceremony calls for the bride and groom to pour the colored sand into a bottle that has been decorated. While performing the act of pouring the sand the couple says a poem together. The words of the poem are "Inseparable we are like the grains of sand united now. The individual is emptied into the sea of love and no longer be separate but will be forever and always entwined as one." Just like the sand in the bottle the couple's love can never be separated.
Light of Love is when the bride and groom light a candle with each other just before they are introduced as husband and wife. Individuals who are not Hawaiian natives may choose to light a candle together while couples that are natives of Hawaii opt to light a tiki torch instead. For centuries lighting the torch has been a part of Hawaiian wedding ceremonies.
A lei is a Hawaiian flower that is another tradition, giving a lei to someone is a way to show them that you love them. It is common practice to give them away during Hawaiian wedding ceremonies that are following the traditional culture. In this case giving a lei can also be a sign of respect and gratitude that is felt for both families. It is custom for the bride to present the groom's mother with a lei and for the groom to do the same for the bride's family.
The last Hawaiian wedding tradition that will be talked about is blowing the conch. A conch is a big seashell that can be a long as a foot; Hawaiians call it a "Pu". It has long been used to announce that an important event is coming or that royalty is near.
