Enough about me and my aches and pains…

It was very interesting to watch the hula competition. The judges chose a “chant” that all contestants must perform. The chant tells a story. The Wahine (female) storyline was a Wahine who was in love with her brother. Her husband was so jealous of the relationship, he had her hunted down and murdered. The chant is the Wahine telling of her love for her brother.

The Kane (male) story line was a young “stud” that ran from Hana (bringing fish) to the west side of the island three times a day. He runs into someone who is very ill. Turns out the “someone” is a ghost. The chant is the Kane telling of his encounter.

Each contestant has to perform two separate hulas. One has to be the chant hula. The other has to be a “modern” hula. The contestants are judged on their proper language (chant is done in Hawaiian language), their adornments, their attire as it relates to the story line, music, and the footwork.

There were seven judges each judging their individual specialty. They were a unique breed as well. The music judge is legally blind. Every time I looked at him he had his head “down on the table.” He was using “pimped out” opera glasses to view the contestants. He literally had his nose on the score sheet to complete it.

Anyway, it was very interesting to see how each contestant performed their chant, the footwork, and their costume. The modern style hula reminded me of a Hawaiian style beauty pageant. The wahines had decked out costumes. By that I mean they had skirts that had fresh strung plumerias attached all over the skirt. They had so many fresh flowers in their hair that you literally could not see their hair. That’s a lot!!!!

Unfortunately I don’t have the ability to describe the competition in words. I wish there was a video or pictures I could show you. It’s nice to see that the Hawaiian culture celebrates their heritage.