The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-01-01
FRESH EVERY MORN
THE LEI MAKING rs NUUANt
VALLEY
Whore the Rings of Flowers Soil 1'l
The Year Round in Honolulu Come
From.

Where do the leis come from2 WISH
tors To- Honolulu who see the Hawai-
ian men and women girls and u'yg
who sit on the sidewalks at Hotel and
Fort and Nuuanu Streets do not stop
To ask where the pretty garlands of
flowers come from and how 10 Is that
there is never day i'm the year when
there are no leis TO be had, The max
I'm and selling of leis has become a
business If there ever was poetry In
lei-makng. it is not appreciated now,
by the hard workers who make and
sell the beautiful floral rings on the
streets Of Honolulu
Every morning at about eight o'clock
a dirty dilapitated Pain bus may be
seen driving down Nuuanu Valley,
with flowers sticking out of every open
ing. 1t is always crowded with women
and girls and men, all burdened with
leis and some of them carrying a bas-
kets of flowers. The bus takes them TO
the corners and there they stay all dey.
The flowers of which the leis are
made are picked at two o'clock every
morning. They are all grown IN Suu-
anu Valley. Every morning i'm the year
the lei makers get up at two o'clock
anu proceed to pick the necessary
flowers for the days supply.
There are about % gardens in Nuu-
anu where flowers for leis are made.
They are little home places, owned in
many cases by the Hawaiians who Zeal
i'm leis. These little gardens receive COLI
slant attention, so that all the year
round they may produce the best pos
sible results in the raising of lima,
Carnations, Ferns, Male and other
necessaries for leis.
Two o'clock in the morning is
the time for picking flowers, rain or
shine After an hours work selecting
/ the best flowers for picking the making
4 # oh Tlvv
/ light of lamps and candles the women
| and girls sit down to weave the floral
emblems that have attracted the at
! tentiOn of every visitor to Ha-
wall since the country became known
At daylight breakfast is taken, and
/ then Pains dirty bus carries the g2r.
| deners and their leis down town.
Last night, New Years Eve, some OF
| the lei-makers were in their places al
night. There was the steamer Ventu-
| ra in port, and the holiday kept people
/ out late, so some of the sellers of leis
| didn't go home when the bus came
| Some stayed on the sidewalk till morn
| ing, sleeping when business gave out
after midnight
Altogether there are about fifty ma
| tives selling leis, from the 25 or less
gardens A majority are women.
/ Some are young girls. Others in the
! Valley give more attention to raising
| the flowers than to making and selling
! leis. The lei men and women make
according to the weather and the mum.
! Der of steamers. Some weeks" said
one of the men at the corner of Hote
and Fort, 1--WE make $50. That is Ther
| there are steamers and good weather
In bad weeks some times we do moi
make SO. That is very low.
! Last Cristmas Eve we thought we
should sell a lot, but the heavy rair
came and there We're no customers
We had lots of leis left over at nigh
and lost a good day 1t was the sam,
| with everybody else's business, but Il
was very unlucSy This is New Year!
Eve and is a fine night