June 11 – Kamehameha Day in Hawaii

June 11, 2021

Posted on June 11, 2021

This is an update of my post published on June 11, 2010:

This holiday honors Kamehameha the Great, the king who first established the Kingdom of Hawaii in 1810.

King Kamehameha established Hawaii as a center of sandalwood trade. Pineapples from Spain were planted, and coffee was brought in as a new crop as well.

King Kamehameha I (above) is the one that is called
“the Great.” Below is King Kamehameha V.

It was King Kamehameha V (the great grandson of the guy being honored) who first declared the holiday. The celebration during the late1800s included carnivals, fairs, and races: foot races, horse races, and velocipede (early bicycle) races.

These days Kamehameha Day is celebrated with floral parades, complete with marching bands, floats, and pa’u horseback riders. These riders represent a royal court: a queen and eight princesses who represent the eight major islands of Hawaii and Molokini, plus ladies in waiting. The riders wear elegant 19th Century riding gowns and leis. There is a two-day hula competition, block parties, cultural exhibitions, and a lei draping ceremony on the Big Island (the island that is actually named Hawaii), on the statue of King Kamehameha.

Learn about Hawaii!

This video explains how Hawaii was formed, as well as some Hawaiian legends about the islands’ origins.

Hawaii is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, far from the edges of the Pacific Plate. Most volcanoes form on the edges of the plates, as they run into one another. But Hawaiian volcanoes are “hot spot” volcanoes!

Here are some photos and cool facts about Hawaii.

This page features photos of Hawaii’s amazing sea caves. And this website shows and tells about one of the state’s many lava tube “caves.”

Here are some coloring pages about Hawaii: general coloring pages to print and color, and a page with Hawaii’s flag, state flower (hibiscus), and state bird (nene goose).