On this special day, the people of Hawai'i have different festivites that takes place all around the island. Our public schools put on programs of entertainment by our children for all the parents to enjoy. Usually in every school program their are children from each grade that are selected to a part of the royal court. There is a king, queen and several prince and princess. Each prince and princess pair will represent one of the eight islands and would be dressed in clothing that are of that particular island's color and sometimes wearing the island's flower!

If you have been to one of the parades on Hawai'i, you also might have noticed the royal court on a float and Pa'u Riders dressed in the same colors of the island that they are to represent. The kihei pa'u or pa'u holo lio, as the riding skirt was called, was of plain brightly colored material or fabric with a large distinctive print. The tradition has continued to this day and pa'u riders are an integral part of many celebrations and parades, including those held in observance of Kamehameha Day and during the annual Aloha Week celebrations.

The official flowers and colors for each island is as follows:

Island:/Color:

Flower/Lei:

The State Flower is the yellow Hibiscus Brackenridgei.

Hawai`i's State Tree is the kukui, better known as the candlenut. The nuts of this tree provided the ancient Hawaiians with light, oil, relishes, and medicine.

The State Bird: The Nene (pronounced "nay-nay") is a land bird and a variety of goose. It has adapted itself to life in the harsh lava country by transforming its webbed feet into a claw-like shape and modifying its wing structure for shorter flights. Hunting and wild animals all but destroyed the species until they were protected by law and a restoration project established in
1949.

State Fish: The Humuhumunukunukuapua`a (pronounced "humuhumunukunukuapua`a").

Flag: The State Flag has eight stripes (representing the eight major islands), of white, red and blue; the field closely resembles the Union Jack of Great Britain, from which the original flag apparently was designed.

Motto: The words Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono which mean "The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness." The saying is attributed to King Kamehameha III as of July 31, 1843, when the Hawaiian flag once more was raised after a brief period of unauthorized ursurpation of authority by a British admiral.

Anthem: Hawai`i Pono`i, written by King Kalakaua and set to music by Henry Berger, the Royal Bandmaster. It was also the anthem of the Kingdom and the Territory of Hawai`i.