King Kamehameha Day - Kohala Coast Festival

June 11th is King Kamehameha Day - a holiday only celebrated here in Hawaii! King Kamehameha I was the person who united all the islands under one ruler and he just happens to be from North Kohala here on the big island.

So every year the statue of him outside the courthouse in Kapa'au (his hometown) is draped in fantastic lei, there is a parade with pa'u riders, and a hula and music festival to honor the Hawaiian monarchy in the park across the street.

We unfortunately missed the parade but we did have a chance to check out some of the entertainment. I personally believe that taking kids to these types of things builds a foundation for their identity, not to mention it's fun! These are the boys from Kohala High School dancing with feathered gourd rattles, one of my favorite hula implements.



And check out this cutie, Makana, who can't be more than 3 years old but apparently spends a whole lot of time at hula practice with his mother...



So STINKIN' CUTE!