This year, Timbers Kaua‘i provided the beautiful foliage and greenery to adorn horses used in the pa’u riding. Collecting the natural materials is an integral part of creating a lei, as well as choosing the right place to gather. Micah describes the protocol when you gather: you chant (oli) to ask permission, wait and feel the presence, then you enter and gather. When you’re finished, you chant again to thank the land.
Micah explains that these events illustrate what life was like during plantation days, and it is a wonderful festivity for guests and locals to see Kōloa side and talk story. Not only is Kōloa Plantation Days a wonderful tribute to the traditions and history of the many cultures on Kaua‘i, it is also a celebration of aloha and acceptance of all people. Micah loves to see that the festival continues to “keep the culture alive, and the feel of aloha alive.”