Hawaiian Lei
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The history of the lei is not complex however is lengthy in terms of centuries. The lei custom was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands by early Polynesian voyagers, who took an incredible journey from Tahiti, navigating by the stars in sailing canoes. The Neolithic man had beads carved from stone, bone, teeth as well as clay and glass. The Aztecs had leis of gold, and in European pre-Christian times leis were made of fragrant flowers and leaves. The Greeks had lei's of laurel and olive. Christ was crowned with lei of thorns. Asia had garlands of jasmine and the Buddhists made bead chains from the champak tree. The Chinese had necklaces of jade, the Africans; the American Indians all had leis of bark, feathers, shells, ivory, clay and wood.
While leaving the island a travelers customarily tosses the farewell lei onto the harbor waters. The drift of the lei back to the shore indicates that the person will someday return to the islands With these early settlers, the lei tradition in Hawaii was born...