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Christmas Around The World: Hawaii

Name of Celebration: Mele Kalikimaka
Location: 19°34′N 155°30′W
The State of Hawaii, which is made of several small islands, is located in the North PacificOcean just a few degrees south of the Tropic of Cancer.
Country: United States of America

The first time Christmas was ever celebrated in Hawaii occurred in 1786, when Captain George Dixon dockedaboard the “Queen Charlotte” in Waimea Bay . He commanded his crew to prepare a typical American dinner, which included roasted pig, pie and grog mixed with coconut milk.
However, Christmas wasn’tformally introduced to Hawaii until the 19th century, when Protestant missionaries adapted the name of Christmas to the ancient Hawaiian celebration called Makahiki. This native festivity lasted for fourmonths and included feasts and games but mainly, it prohibited wars or any sort of conflicts. The reason for Makahiki and later Christmas’ appearance, was mainly seeking for peace on earth andgoodwill toward men.

Since then, when referring to Christmas celebration, Hawaiians have adopted many of the occidental customs. For example, some citizens import their Christmas trees from across thePacific Ocean. They usually look for the best grand firs, noble, and other popular varieties of fir or pine. In the other hand, more creative and original Hawaiians create Christmas trees by decoratingPalm trees and replacing Santa Claus’s sleigh and reindeers with canoes and dolphins swimming around it. Another remarkable characteristic of Hawaii’s Christmas, is Santa and the elves wearing alohashirts and shorts instead of the usual suits.

Another traditional activity is parades in the streets, which are suddenly filled with thousands of lights, horns blaring and excited people singingcarols on the sidewalks. Many citizens, drive their cars, which are specifically decorated with Christmas objects, while others take guitars and ukuleles out to play different melodies.
This period...