by Jonathan Howery
April 1st, 2015

A flower lei is a symbol of Hawaii's aloha spirit and is given as a welcome or as a farewell. Leis can represent friendship, good luck, love, and other positive emotions for many special occasions such as graduations, weddings, and birthdays. The lei is usually about 40 inches long and are usually constructed with carnations, kika blossoms, ginger blossoms, jasmine blossoms, or orchids. The custom of wearing leis originally began with the native Hawaiians wearing necklaces of leaves or ferns; sometimes strung dried shells, shark’s teeth, fruits, beads, or bright feathers.

Step one: Collect some fresh flowers. A lei can be made from any kind of fresh flowers such as plumeria, roses, daisies, or carnations (all popular choices) — but you can choose any blooms, leaves or ferns from the garden. To make one, single-strand 40” lei you will need approximately 50 blossoms. Try to pick each flower at the base of its stem to make sure the stamen remains intact.

Step two: Cut off the stems of each flower. Leave about 1/4 - 1/2 inch left.

Step three: Cut your cotton string or fishing line 100 inches in length. Then double the thread over to allow for the 40” lei with 5 inches at each end.
Step four: Thread a large needle until it is doubled over. Knot the two ends of the string together leaving 4 or 5 inches of string hanging below the knot.

Step 5: To string the flowers, take the first flower and pass the needle straight through the center of the face or the steam of the flower, all the way through to the back and then very gently push the flower down along the string.

Step 6: Continue to string the remaining flowers in the same fashion, passing the needle through the face or stem of each bloom. Continue adding a bloom until the lei is approximately 40" in length.

Step 7: Finish the lei by adjusting the placement of the first and last blooms until they are together, and then tie the ends of the string in a square knot. You may want to leave the hanging ends of your knot in place until you present the lei. A lei can be worn more than once by saving it in a plastic bag placed in the refrigerator will keep it fresh.

So there you have it, how to make your own flower lei. Enjoy your vacation here in the lovely Hawaiian Islands.

Loa’a wale lā!
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