Kamehameha Day: Meaningful or Just a Day Off?

[scrivener]

I say you don't need a reason to have a holiday. We live in Hawaii and state-sanctioned days off are good for the economy and for our collective mental health. We have the longest life-expectancy in the nation; I believe attitudes like mine contribute.

However, I confess that today's holiday is personally quite meaningless to me. I never take a moment to reflect on Kamehameha's achievements or on what he means to the state. I never watch the parade. I don't participate in any of the festivities. I may walk down to Kamehameha Shopping Center and get a McFlurry, though. I mean no disrespect to the Great nor to his People; except for having a day off (and I'm a teacher on vacation so I don't really have that, either), today's commemoration has very little significance to me. I know this is the case for a lot of people with Good Friday, a holiday that does have serious meaning to me (though I don't think it should be a state holiday!), so I guess it all evens out.

So, what about you? Meaningful, or just a day off? Be honest--the poll is anonymous!

[pzarquon]

Well, it's not a day off for me. I do much appreciate the free-flowing traffic, though.

King Kamehameha Day brings the Pan Pacific Festival (http://www.pan-pacific-festival.com/). Performances at Ala Moana and at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, then a block party in Waikiki tonight. More performances at both locations tomorrow and Sunday, with the grand finale parade through Waikiki Sunder evening.

[kimo55]

However, I confess that today's holiday is personally quite meaningless to me.



as a teacher, Kamehameha celebration should be meaningmore to you...
bone up on it.
"learning is cool"

http://www.coffeetimes.com/dec97.htm

[helen]

Well the same could be said about the Prince Kuhio Holiday (which I opted to take it yesterday since this year fell on the same day as Good Friday) and maybe Admissions Day. If others want to celebrate it with parades that's fine by me.

[Ikaika]

My Ohana and I celebrate it sorta liek a Kanaka Thanksgiving day. We all just hang out and BBQ and shoot da Kukai.

[molokai]

Kamehameha Day should be a day off, just like Martin Luther King Jr. has his own day, or President's day is celebrated. It holds meaning. That's how I feel. We are trying to celebrate who we are, and what we are. King Kamehameha is even a symbol to mainlanders that we were once a territory.

[1stwahine]

I would have celebrated Kamehameha Day with family or friends...alas, I've been SICK! I really don't care what everyone is enjoying because I'm coop up and can't stay in front of the computer long enough to check out anything else except writing in response to this thread. Ssshhh, I hate being ill.....physically! :eek:

Ok, what was the topic?

Kamehameha Day! Yippeee! Another holiday that we in Hawai'i nei have. Anybody went camping this weekend? I heard that theres an excellent display at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in Waikiki...ahh, I goin back to sleep. I need some chook.

Auntie Lynn aka Auntie Pupule

[AbsolutChaos]

I would have celebrated Kamehameha Day with family or friends...alas, I've been SICK! I really don't care what everyone is enjoying because I'm coop up and can't stay in front of the computer long enough to check out anything else except writing in response to this thread. Ssshhh, I hate being ill.....physically! :eek:

Ok, what was the topic?

Kamehameha Day! Yippeee! Another holiday that we in Hawai'i nei have. Anybody went camping this weekend? I heard that theres an excellent display at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center in Waikiki...ahh, I goin back to sleep. I need some chook.

Auntie Lynn aka Auntie Pupule

I hope you are feeling better...

I checked out the Kamehameha display over at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center. It was a very nicely organized collection of photographs, and I learned a few things. I hope some people stopped to look at it over the past coupla weeks! Yesterday was the last chance to view them there.

[pzarquon]

The big parade should be starting in Waikiki right now.

I saw some of the performances on Friday at Ala Moana Center, and posted some video (http://www.lightfantastic.org/imr/extras/videoblog/archives/2005/06/taiko.html) of a women's taiko drum troupe.

Hope everyone had a royally good weekend! Get better, Lynn.

[scrivener]

Well, it's two days after the the survey was posted, and the current score is Meaningful 7, Not Meaningful 6. I find that an interesting split and if nobody minds, I think I'll run a similar poll for the next few holidays, which, I think, are Independence Day, Statehood Day (formerly Admissions Day), and Labor Day.

[Miulang]

Hey, no fair! You guys get all these holidays in honor of former ali'i, and all we get up here are 8 stinkin' holidays (all the national ones, including MLK Day, but no "Statehood Day" or anything lidat.).

Maybe das why you guys live longer ova dere: you guys get more holidays so you get less stress! :D

Miulang

[scrivener]

Maybe das why you guys live longer ova dere: you guys get more holidays so you get less stress!

I believe that was the sentiment I originated this thread with. :)

I have this friend who's been teaching here for a long time, and she's always joking about how many holidays we have here. I was sure wherever she was from (Oklahoma) had just as many seemingly silly holidays, so I looked it up one day, and it turns out that, like Washington, Oklahoma (and lots of other states) pretty much just has the federal holidays. What are the unions doing over there, anyway? Protecting workers' rights to coffee breaks?

I say the more holidays, the better. It's good for our health, it's good for the economy, and it's good for our identity as a state. In all this talk about new school calendars for public-school students, never was there a suggestion that kids should work year-round, just as their parents do.

What's good for the kids has got to be good for the grownups. We should all take ten weeks off per year.

[pzarquon]

What's good for the kids has got to be good for the grownups. We should all take ten weeks off per year.Mitchell for Governor!