Merrie Monarch Festival
The Merrie Monarch Festival is a week-long hula festival that takes place annually in Hilo, Hawaii. It honors King David Kalakaua, who was nicknamed the "Merry Monarch" for his patronage of the arts. He is credited with restoring many Hawaiian cultural traditions during his reign, including the hula. Many hula halau (schools), including some from the U.S. Mainland and Japan, attend the festival each year to participate in the festival competitions, which are considered the most prestigious of all hula contests.
With the exception of 2008, the festival week always starts on Easter Sunday and continues with craft fairs, entertainment, and cultural demonstrations during the week. The festivities culminate in the annual competitions held at the Edith Kanakaʻole Multipurpose Stadium: the Miss Aloha Hula solo competition on Thursday, and the kahiko (ancient) and ʻauana (modern) hula competitions held on the Friday and Saturday. This is called by many the Olympics of hula.
There are two divisions of group competition, the male (kane) division and the female (wahine) division. Each halau has up to seven minutes on stage, and during their performance halau are being judged on a variety of things. Just like in the Olympics judges are looking for different elements in each performance. First, there is the entrance (kaʻi), next is the chant (ʻoli), next is the dance (hula) and finally there is the exit off stage (hoʻi). Halau must be sure to complete each aspect of the performance for the best possible score. With up to 30 halau competing each year, competition is always very tough.
History
The Merrie Monarch Festival is dedicated to the memory of King David Kalakaua, known as the Merrie Monarch. King Kalakaua, the second (and last) elected king of Hawai'i, came to the throne in 1874 and reigned until his death in 1891. He was a patron of the arts, especially music and dance. Kalakaua almost single-handedly restored many of the nearly extinct cultural traditions of the Hawaiian people. These included myths and legends, and the hula, which had been forbidden -- due to the influence of Protestant missionaries -- for over 70 years.