He Momi e Lei ai (a pearl to wear as a lei)

Happy New Year

Here is a twist on the phrase, Happy New Year, in Hawaiian. You are probably familiar with Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou, but that’s not the only way to say Happy New Year in Hawaiian. Yes, indeed, Hawaiians have another way to bring on the new year. Hapenuia. Get it? Straight from English! You might see it also written Hape Nu Ia. Three words. Or Hape Nuia. Take your pick.

I can just hear some of you saying that it is just a Hawaiianized word. Transliterated phrase. It’s not authentic. It’s about as authentic as Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou because the fact of the matter is, Hawaiians didn’t celebrate this type of “new year” anyway! They would celebrate the Makahiki season, but that was for a totally different reason. So saying either Hapenuia or Hauʻoli Makahiki Hou, they both mean the same thing.

Hmmm, maybe my Christmas card next year will say Mele Kalikimaka (another transliterated phrase, btw) me ka Hapenuia!

n. Friend. Lit., beloved companion. Cf. aloha. Kona hoaloha, his friend. hoʻo.hoa.loha To make friends, be friendly, befriend.

Today’s “He Momi” is dedicated to my hoaaloha, Nani. Today she celebrates her birthday. She and I started out as hula sisters and have remained so to this day. We were colleagues together, friends forever, moved to Hawaiʻi Island almost together and have dreams of living in Kohala together. She is my forever hoaaloha.

Hoaaloha/Hoaloha can obviously be broken into two words: hoa – friend, and aloha – love. A beloved friend/companion. And that is how I feel about Nani. She is a beloved companion. Everything you would want in a friend. Non judgmental. Fiercely loyal. Absolutely reliable.

There are two different spellings, both the same. I like the full spelling version of hoaaloha rather than hoaloha. But they are both the same. I just like to see the full extent of both words within the word – hoa aloha.

ʻO Nani koʻu hoaaloha – Nani is my beloved friend.

Hauʻoli lā hānau e Nani.

Māua ʻo Nani, koʻu hoaaloha

nvs. Safe, saved, rescued; convalescent; to ward off, brush aside, rescue, protect; to recover from illness; defense, savior, safety, security.

Three more days until we welcome in 2016. With all the money fireworks blowing up here in Hawai’i, it can be a dangerous time. Palekana. Safe. To ward off. Safety. Despite restrictive laws and required permits on fireworks, it still gets a little crazy. It is a tough battle in our legislature since there is so much “culture” involved in ringing in the new year.

Hawaiians didn’t celebrate the coming of a new calendar year. They didn’t even HAVE years like the Gregorian calendar (what we know as our western calendar). We celebrate a couple months of play, harvest and competition during the Makahiki season but there are no fireworks. That influence is mainly from China and Chinese don’t celebrate the new year until February 8th this coming year. How ironic.

The new year, though, is a good reason to celebrate the passing of one year and the hopes of a better new year, eating mochi, popping that long string of firecrackers with the big bang at the end, drinking champagne and eating ‘ono mea ‘ai.

Parents – make it a happy occasion. Watch your keiki. Palekana. When I think of the crazy things I was allowed to do as a kid…shushu babies using the firecracker powder found in unlit firecrackers on the morning of the new year. Blowing up firecrackers in the mailbox. Toddlers holding sparklers. Five year olds lighting the fireworks with the punk. My cousin’s firecracker paper bag somehow blew up every single year. And no drinking and driving or getting all hūpō (stupid). Palekana.

E hoʻoikaika mai ʻoe iaʻu ā laila palekana wau (Hal. 119.117) – strengthen me, then I am saved.

E nanea ʻoukou ma ka pō 31 me ka palekana – Enjoy yourselves on the night of the 31st with safety.

Vacation; to take a rest or vacation; to retire, stop work; to obtain relief; to pause; rest in music (types are hoʻomaka poʻo, a whole rest; hoʻomaha poʻoʻele, a quarter rest; hoʻomaha poʻolima, a half rest; hoʻomaha poʻomana, an eighth rest; hoʻomaha poʻomanalua, a sixteenth rest; hoʻomaha poʻomanakolu, a thirty-second rest). 

You’ve probably figured out that I took a brief hoʻomaha – vacation. I didn’t even think about my daily words. It wasn’t my original intention, but the kids flew home, complete with grandchildren in tow. First the home was filled with an abundance of adults (four extra) and two moʻopuna and there just wasn’t anytime to jump on my computer. Then the adults left, a puppy appeared, and the two littles stayed here for the winter break. I am sure you can sympathize with me. It is a rough life…

So I took a little hoʻomaha: hoʻo- a causative (causing the action of the word following it to happen) and maha- rest. I caused rest to happen in my life (though I don’t remember getting much of the “rest” part). I stopped work (but for the brief emails here and there), took a pause on the hustle and bustle, and settled down to take a rest, enjoy the moments. A pause for the cause.

Ua hoʻomaha nā kula – the schools are having a vacation.

Hoʻomaha ʻia mai au i kuʻu hāʻawe – I am relieved of my burden.

Hoʻomaha ai ma nā kānāwai – to rest with the laws [obey them] (Fornander 6:159).

The beauty of the holiday season is that it causes us to hoʻomaha, even amidst the frenzy of shopping and partying and gift giving take place. Most of us take a few days of vacation from work and spend time with ʻohana. And it is appropriate to do so. This is the makahiki season, time to be at peace, play games, eat, drink and be MERRY! LONOIKAMAKAHIKI!!!

Happy holidays from my ʻohana to yours.

nvs. Peace, quiet, security, tranquillity, serenity; safety; solemn awe and stillness that reigned during some of the ancient taboo ceremonies; peaceful, restful.  hoʻo.malu.hia To cause or give peace, protect; to arbitrate between warring parties.

Moe ka ma maluhia lani – Sleep in heavenly peace.

This is the time of peace. Christmas will soon be upon us. Time of peace. This is the time of Lono. Time of peace. Whatever you are celebrating during this season, I hope that you are being the change we want to see in this world by spreading goodwill and maluhia in the world.

The word, malu, also refers to peace.

E hoʻomaha me ka maluhia – Rest in peace.

E noho me ka maluhia – Dwell in peace.

vs. Calm, quiet, serene, pacific, still, silent, tranquil, gentle, gradual; calmly, slowly, softly, quietly.  hoʻo.mālie To calm, quiet, hush, soothe, lull, ease pain. (PPN maalie.)

One of several words expressing peacefulness is mālie. Calm, quiet, serene (and more). Mālie conjours thoughts of how everything should be in a perfect word, with kids. There is a kahakō over the a so there is a slight stress when saying it. A variation of mālie is mālia. Slight difference. Same meaning.

You may have heard this word being used in reference to the ocean when it is nice and flat, good to go holoholo.

Nono mālie – sit quietly/still.

ʻAi mālie – Eat slowly.

Lana mālie ka manaʻo – The thoughts are serene.

Mālie ke kai a me ka makani – The sea and wind are calm.

ʻŌlelo mālie – Speak slowly.

Hōʻale i ka wai ua lana mālie – Stirring up still waters (said of one who stirs up controversies).

Kaha ka ʻio i ka mālie – The (native) hawk poises in the calm (said in admiration of a handsome person).

Lele ka ʻiwa mālie kai koʻo – When the ʻiwa bird flies out to sea the rough sea will be calm.

Wishing you a mālie day.

nvt. Hope, confidence, expectation; to hope

Manaʻolana (one of the three greatest things) is an interesting word. Again, like yesterday’s word, manaʻoʻiʻo, manaʻolana has the same “prefix”, manaʻo, meaning thought, idea, opinion. –Lana is a nominalizing suffix and can be found in other words, like kaulana (famous) and kūlana (stature, rank). For those of you a bit more familiar with Hawaiian, ‘ana is also a nominalized word but can function on its own.

I like to think of manaʻolana a different way: manaʻo as thought and lana meaning to float. Or calm and still like water.. Lana ka manaʻo means hopeful, without worry, thoughtful.  When my thoughts are floating, it is generally a good feeling, opposite of that “sinking” feeling. Or when my thoughts are calm and still, I am at a place of peace. I like to think of that as a place of hope and confidence as opposed to a place of turbulence and stress.

Mana’olana au e holo pono ka papahana i kēia lā – I hope that the project progresses well today.

Nui ka manaʻolana ma ka wā kalikimaka – There is a lot of hope during Christmas time.

nvt. Faith, confidence; to have faith, confidence; to believe. Kumu manaʻoʻiʻo, creed. Pelika o ka manaʻoʻiʻo, covenant of faith. Manaʻoiʻo Nīkine, Nicene creed. Ua manaʻoʻiʻo i ke Akua, [he] believes in God.

This Christmas season brings to mind many hīmeni Hawaiʻi, Hawaiian hymns, that we learned growing up in a Hawaiian household and attending a kalawina (congregationalist) church. Foremost of the hīmeni that we sang from small kid time (and to this day), is ʻEkolu Mea Nui, Three Greatest Things, written by Robert Nawahine and based on I Corinthians 13:13. It speaks about the three greatest things on earth (I can hear some of you singing this hīmeni right now): ka manaʻoʻiʻo (faith), ka manaʻolana (hope), a me ke aloha (and love).

Manaʻo means thought, idea, belief, or opinion. The word, ʻiʻo, means truth, significance, reality. I like to think of manaʻoʻiʻo as a belief that is the truth. A faith in a force or forces greater than ourselves.

Sometimes things may happen in our lives that put our manaʻoʻiʻo to a test. KEEP THE FAITH! Sometimes it is all we have.

ʻO ka manaʻoʻiʻo ka mea e alakaʻi ai iā kākou ma ke ala pomo – Faith is the thing that guides us on the path of righteousness.

Continue to do good until the heavens come down to you

This is a perfect ʻōlelo noʻeau (wise saying) for this holiday season. Tis the season of goodwill, although the season should last all year. This ʻōlelo noʻeau speaks about the blessings we receive when we persist in doing good. Funny thing is that those who do good, who help others without asking for anything in return are those who least expect to receive blessings. They are so enveloped in the spirit of giving of their time and resources that somehow that, in itself, becomes the blessing they gladly accept.

This is what we need to teach our children from a very young age: how to continue to do good until the heavens come down to us. So often we give children rewards for the good deeds…extrinsic rewards. They become so programmed to expect some THING for each good deed, whether it is good grades or sharing their candy. Do it for the reward or do it because it just feels so good or PONO inside ?

Love how you don’t have to wait to go to heaven to reap the benefits of a good life. The heavens come down to you!

ʻO ka pono ke hana ʻia a iho mai nā lani

Christmas tree ornament

Today’s He Momi is simple enough and related to yesterday’s. Wehi literally means decoration, adornment, or ornament. It also refers to a song composed as an adornment or a song honoring someone. A good example of this might be the song Kaipoleimanu, written by Queen Kapiʻolani for her husband, King David Kalākaua. her name for him was Kaipoleimanu, poetically translated as a beloved/cherished sweetheart.

Those round ornaments that you may hang from your lāʻau kalikimaka are called pōpō (meaning ball) lāʻau kalikimaka.

Pono e kūʻai i nā wehi lāʻau kalikimaka hou – [We] have to buy new Christmas tree ornaments.

Nani nā wehi lāʻau kalikimaka ma kēia – The Christmas tree decorations on this [one] is beautiful.