Mele Kalikimaka: Makahiki–Hawaiian New Year  

By Karyn Chambers

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Mele Kalikimaka: Makahiki–Hawaiian New Year  

Have you ever wondered when the Christian holy day–Christmas–came to the Hawaiian islands? Did you know that prior to the first Christmas celebrated in 1786 by Captain George Dixon on the island of Kauai that the ancient Hawaiians had their own festival–Makahiki–to honor Lono, the god of the Hawaiian religion? This festival lasted four lunar months–October/November to February/March, during which labor and war was prohibited. It was a time for men, women, and chiefs to rest and strengthen the body. Their great feasts gave thanks and honor to Lono-ika-makahiki for his care, blessings, peace, and victory.  Makahiki means “year” marking a change in the seasons. Warfare was also forbidden to prevent anything from adversely impacting the crops. 

Maka’ainana (commoners) prayed for the chief and their land; many religious ceremonies took place during this time period, which included sports, dancing, feasting and renewing community relationships.

The early Hawaiians divided the year into two seasons: Makahiki was the first four month period, marking the start of the agricultural season, possibly the time of the rising of the Pleiades. Ma Kahiki also means “as in Tahiti” because the voyages to and from Tahiti were closely associated with Lono, one of the four Hawaiian deities, honored for fertility, rainfall, agriculture, music and peace. The Makahiki feast was a celebration of the change of seasons–a time of relaxation, fun games, and harvest. Lono represented balance within themselves, each other, and the land. It was a time of joy and prayer for prosperity, abundance, and good health. Families would gather for a luau and enjoy a kalua pig roasted in an underground pit. Work such as house-building, canoe-building, the making of kapa products, and planting crops were forbidden. Games included Hukihuki (tug of war), Haka Moa (standing chicken fight), Uma (hand wrestling), Moa Pahee (dart sliding), Kukini (foot race), Ihe Pahe’e (spear throwing), Aho Loa (underwater breath holding), He’e nalu (surfing), Konane (Hawaiian checkers), and Hei (cat’s cradle). Makahiki festivals 2024 took place in Waimea Valley early November. 

Who was Lono?

According to Hale Makua in The Bowl of Light, akua Lono was “a real man who lived in the mythic past.” He arrived in Hawaii from his Austral Island homeland and had red hair.  As a youth, he was a warrior who killed his enemies and ate them.  Later he was graced with a religious experience and became a healer/spiritual warrior. Lonomakua was Pele’s uncle and taught her how to keep her fire. The Big Island was eventually home to Lono where he lived most of his life.  In the chants, it’s recorded that Lono traveled in his double-hulled canoe to Mexico, remembered to be the equivalent of the godlike being–Quetzalcoatl. He eventually traveled to the Atlantic Ocean connecting to Indians in Maine who thought he was a Viking because of his fair-skin and red hair, and they gave him a special white stone.  Makua stated that Lono was part of the earliest migration thousands of years ago, asserting that there were people in Hawaii twelve thousand years ago.  He claimed Lono was his own ancestor. 

Lono became associated with healing and healing herbs; upon his death he was elevated to godlike status where he became an archetypal influence over agriculture and the weather, known also as “the bringer of rain”; thus the god honored during Makahiki in the rainy season. Makua says someone on the island still has the white stone given to Lono. 

In Martha Beckwith’s Hawaiian Mythology, she states that Lono asks two of his brothers to find him a wife. Traveling through all of the islands, they find Ka-iki-lani living among the breadfruit surrounded by birds. He comes down on a rainbow, making her his wife and a goddess.  Later an earthly chief sings a wooing song to her and Lono hears it, becoming angry–jealous–beating her to death despite her fidelity and innocence. Feeling remorse, Lono initiates the Makahiki games in her honor. He challenges every man into a wrestling match, and the people swarm him with provisions for his journey–coconuts, fowl, and swine. Lono is associated with the ohia lehua tree with its fiery blossoms.  “The Song of Lono” preserves the story of Lono and Ka-iki-lani which became the legend behind the Makahiki.  

 When did Christmas first arrive in Hawaii? The first celebration occurred in 1786 when Captain George Dixon was docked in Kauai. Dixon and his crew feasted on a whole roasted pig for their Christmas dinner. Protestant missionaries brought Christmas in 1820, and in 1856, King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma celebrated Christmas as a day of Thanksgiving. In 1858, the first Christmas tree and Santa Claus appeared in Hawaii. King Kamehameha IV declared it an official holiday in 1862. Mele Kalikimaka means Merry Christmas.

Today Christmas is celebrated by feasting on a large meal near the beach, surfing, and swimming, music with guitars and ukuleles, wearing Santa hats and decorating our cars and homes. 

Did You Know There Are Thirteen Holiday Traditions Practiced in Hawaii?

Hawaii, as we know, has a diverse culture of people who gather, live, work and love the islands.  These groups have their own various winter time celebrations.

Kalikimaka: Of course, Christmas arrived in Hawaii early in the 19th Century by missionaries who worked with the royal family and brought literacy to the local people.

Las Posadas: Among Catholic Hispanics from Mexico, a nine day celebration ending on Christmas day symbolizing Joseph and Mary’s challenging journey to Bethlehem. This festival is a fusion of indigenous and Catholic beliefs. 

St Lucia’s Day: Swedes celebrate on December 13th where young girls wear white robes and crowns decorated with candles on their heads indicating the light in the darkness of winter.

Hanukkah: Jews around the world celebrate the victory of the Maccabees over the Greeks during their eight days known as “the Festival of Lights,” where they commemorate the oil enough for only one night lasting eight days. They exchange gifts and enjoy festive meals during the eight days.

Kwanzaa: African Americans celebrate their heritage and culture during December 26th-January 1st through storytelling, dancing and music. 

Yule Log: Scandanavians and Northern Europeans light a yule log to symbolize the return of longer days and triumph of light over darkness. 

Krampusnacht: Austrians, Dutch, and Belgians celebrate Krampus, a horned creature who travels with St. Nicholas to reward good children and punish bad ones.

Omisoka: In the Japanese tradition, this is a New’s Eve celebration which includes cleaning your house, eating soba noodles for longevity, and ringing bells 108 times for good luck.

St. Nicholas Day: The Dutch and Belgian people celebrate this day on December 5th by eating pepper cookies waiting for Sinterklaas. On December 6th, the children receive gifts from Sinterklass and his helper Black Peter.

Hogmanay: The Scottish New Year celebration includes “first-footing” indicating the first person to enter your house after midnight brings good luck for the coming year. In Edinburgh, the men get naked and run down the street in the snow, jumping in the North Sea in arctic temperatures. 

Christmas Markets: Craft fairs and farmers markets, of course, are embraced where festival atmospheres include caroling, wine, and seasonal foods/gifts from all over the world.

Mummering: Canadians dress in disguises and visit homes dancing and singing. Hosts attempt to guess identities for treats.

Dongzhi: A Chinese Winter Solstice Festival marking the shortest day and longest night of the year.  Holding huge cultural significance, it emphasises family reunion and the beginning of longer daylight. Families gather from December 21st to 23rd enjoying sweet rice balls that symbolizes togetherness and a savory meal to increase positive energy and kinship–an important time to express gratitude, family bonds, and arrival of positive energy.

As you can see, December is a significant month for numerous cultural celebrations marking the significant change moving from the shortest day into longer daylight, a time of strengthening family bonds and conveying gratitude for blessings such as good health, prosperity, and agricultural production. The native people of Hawaii honor Makahiki to remember Lono Makua–a healer and spiritual warrior–who brought protection and fertility; rainfall, music, and peace. What a glorious time to relax, strengthen their bodies, and pray for their crops and peace.  In addition to traditional Christmas celebrations, why not explore and learn about how other cultures honor this time of year? How will you choose to celebrate the blessings of 2024? Mele Kalikimaka and Happy New Year! 

References

Beckwith, Martha. Hawaiian Mythology.  Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1976.Wesselman, Hank. PhD. The Bowl of Light. Boulder: Sounds True, 2011.