What customs and habits should I pay attention to when going to Hawaii?

Hawaii State is the only archipelago state in the United States and consists of 132 islands in the central Pacific. The capital is located in Honolulu on Oahu. The earliest residents were Polynesians, and after 1778 European and Asian immigrants moved here one after another. The Kingdom of Hawaii was established in 1795. It was annexed by the United States in 1898. Belonging to the United States in 1900. In 1959, it became the 50th state of the United States.

Today, the majority of residents are Europeans, Whites and Japanese, followed by mixed-race people, Filipinos and Chinese. In 2000, the permanent population of Hawaii was 1.212 million and the floating population was 1.334 million (including tourists). The Japanese are the largest Asian nation in Hawaii, followed by Filipinos, indigenous people, China, Koreans, Vietnam, Laos and Thais. The urban population accounts for 86.5%. About 80% of the state's population is concentrated on Oahu.

Hawaii is the only archipelago state in the United States and consists of 132 islands in the central Pacific. The land area is 16,700 square kilometers. Hawaii has an island-type climate, with monsoon regulation all year round, and the annual temperature is about 26 degrees to 31 degrees Celsius. Hawaii's temperature changes little throughout the year and there are no seasons. February and March are the coldest, and August and September are the hottest. Normally, the rainfall is the heaviest from October to April of the following year, and it may rain at any time.

The Hawaiian Islands were formed by volcanic eruptions, including 8 large islands and 124 small islands, stretching for 2450 kilometers, forming a crescent-shaped island chain. Hawaii Island is the largest island and has 2 active volcanoes. The climate is mild and pleasant all year round, and precipitation is greatly affected by the terrain. There are great differences among different places. The forest coverage rate is nearly 50%. Honshu is made up of 19 major islands and coral reefs located in the Central Pacific.

After many Orientals came to Hawaii, they found that many of Hawaii's customs and habits were very similar to those of their own country. She has more Oriental characteristics than the United States and does not have the racial discrimination that Orientals often encounter in the United States, so although the cost of living in Hawaii is expensive, they are still willing to stay and live.

What are the customs and habits of Hawaii? Tourists visit Hawaii for a quick glance, and the Hawaiian customs and habits they see are actually very superficial.

In the past 100 years, Hawaii has become a world-famous tourist destination because of its beautiful scenery. Thousands of tourists spend their holidays there every day in the Waikiki Beach area along the golden coastline. In fact, more than 90% of the people tourists meet there are, like him, from all over the world.

In tourist areas, all service industries revolve around tourist services, from sightseeing during the day to hula dancing at night. In order to create a friendly atmosphere and enhance cohesion among tourists, professional service personnel often teach tourists some Hawaiian greetings, such as "Hello, thank you, goodbye" and so on. "Aloha" is a greeting in Hawaiian dialect, including the meaning of "hello,""thank you" and "goodbye" in China language. Tourists are happy to learn, practice, and are happy to take it back to their home country and teach it to relatives and friends. Over time, such a special living habit has been formed in the Waikiki living area. When people meet, no matter whether they know each other or not, they will say "Aloha" when they meet. Market research results show that nine out of ten tourists who have been to Hawaii think that it is the habit of Hawaiians to shout "Aloha" when they see people.

In fact, modern Hawaiian customs have been integrated into the customs and habits of ethnic groups around the world. For example, when you visit a Hawaiian home, you must first take off your shoes before you can enter. This habit was actually brought from the Japanese. Besides, wearing a suit in Hawaii is only worn when attending weddings, courts and funerals. This custom is a compromise mixture of Hawaiian local customs and Western customs. Because the weather in Hawaii is very hot, it is impossible to wear a suit at all, but occasionally wear it to show respect and grandeur. The most common gift for student graduation ceremonies, weddings, birthdays, etc. is a wreath made of flowers; if guests come from afar or want to send relatives away from home, sending a wreath can express love and care... Sending a wreath is the true ancient style of Hawaii.

If you want to truly understand Hawaiian customs, you must understand Hawaiian customs before the entry of white civilization, that is, the customs and habits of Hawaiian during the Kapu System. The Karp System died out around 1820 (see "Karp System").

In the old days of Hawaii, society was strictly hierarchical. The Karp system divides people's ranks and stipulates that men are superior to women. The highest social hierarchy are chiefs and priests, the lowest are slaves, and the middle are civilians. The Karp system stipulates where people of different levels fish and hunt, where they farm and harvest, what beaches they swim and play on, what kind of food to eat, and how to wear. Violators are punishable by death.

Hawaiians believe in gods and destiny. They believe that the power of gods is determined by the seniority and age in the god's family. Therefore, the status of a person is also determined by the family's status in society and the seniority and age of a person in the family. The higher the seniority, the older the age, the older the qualifications. Hawaiians believe that there is "Ma Na"(MANA), which is the aura and aura obtained from distant ancestors and gods. Hawaiians believe that the soul of a person is immortal after death, and the souls of ancestors will often come back to protect their descendants. It's just that ordinary people have very little numbing, and they can't always take it from the gods in heaven like chiefs. In order to protect their numbness, people are very reluctant to give their close-fitting clothes to others.

Editor: )

In the indigenous living area, you can sometimes hear the curse of Native Hawaiian people when they quarrel: Your ancestors tied a gourd around their necks. To China, gourd is a bit like a "magic bottle" for people in the Middle East, connected with longevity and divine power. Therefore, if you are China, you will never think that this is what Hawaiians consider the most vicious curse. Hawaii still used slaves more than a hundred years ago, and the slaves in Hawaii are perhaps the most miserable slaves in the world. These people were born as the private property of the chief, just like chickens, dogs and pigs. People called slaves "dirty things" and the slaves often had the following totem marks on their foreheads: half-moon, triangle or dot. When the festival of sacrifices to the gods that required human sacrifices came, the chief's subordinates would come to the place where the slaves lived, grab the slave who was used to make human sacrifices, place it in a cage, and tie a gourd around his neck.

Tourists when they come to Hawaii often visit the "Polynesian Cultural Center". After going, they are surprised by Hawaii's past patriarchal system. Hawaiians once believed that men and women were opposites, men were light and women were darkness; men were strong and women were weak; men were pure and women were evil; men were good and women were evil. In a society with this concept, women are subject to many restrictions, such as not being allowed to eat at the same table with men, not being allowed to eat coconuts and bananas, and not being allowed to eat roasted pork and turtle meat. Women on their periods have foul air, which makes men unlucky if they meet them. What's more, men and women cannot sleep in the same bed. A favored woman can make a floor bed next to a man's bed.

This historical concept has formed many unique social habits in Hawaii. For example, shipbuilding, making fishing nets, and farming fields are not for women. Women are not allowed to appear on such occasions. They believe that boats that women touch will overturn. The fishing nets that women touch cannot catch fish, and even if women go to the fields, the seedlings will not grow. Women's job is to have children, make clothes and wallpaper out of tree bark, and weave baskets, shoes, hats and mats out of leaves.

Until now, many traditional Hawaiians still believe that pillows cannot be stepped on or sat on. When a man goes fishing, his family cannot ask him where he is going, nor can he entertain guests while the man is away from home. People who go to the sea cannot bring accompanying bananas, otherwise they will be in bad luck.

Editor: )

These customs disappeared around 1820 with the spread of Christian doctrine. But despite this, traces of history occasionally appear in future generations. The following customs of life are occasionally encountered in some indigenous areas. If you come to Hawaii, do as the Romans do when you enter, they may come in handy.

bring flowers

A Hawaiian sends a wreath of flowers to express joy or congratulations, and he or she will wear it around your neck. Don't take it off immediately after you accept it, and you can't take it off immediately and give it to others unless you donate it to a member of your family. Otherwise, it will be considered impolite.

eat

If there is someone next to you while eating, whether you know it or not, you should invite others to eat with you as a courtesy. If you visit someone and the host invites you to eat and you refuse to eat, it will be considered impolite. The host will think that you don't eat it because you think his food is poisonous.

The concept of extended family

In the past, Hawaiian polygamy and large families had many children. Brothers and sisters falling in love is a happy event for Hawaiians, especially for the ruling class, which is a good thing to keep the blood pure. This is very similar to the concept of the Egyptian royal family. To this day, locals in Hawaii dare not offend Native Hawaiian people, because if you wronged someone, his cousins, cousins, and aunts will all come out to deal with you, making you miserable.

family

A Hawaiian woman is pregnant with a child, and if she wants to know if the child is a boy or a girl, she will go to the witch. The witch would ask the pregnant woman to hold out her hand. If a pregnant woman stretches out her right hand first, the child will be a boy; if a pregnant woman stretches out her left hand first, the child will be a girl.

After the child is born, the placenta must be washed and buried under the tree. If you bury it without washing, your child will have eye problems in the future.

After the child is born, if he turns his head and looks at his mother first, the child will be very filial to his mother throughout his life. If he sees his father or midwife first, the child will be filial to his father. If a child was born head-down, the child's memory would be good.

Hawaiian parents teach their children that they rarely spanked, but instead kick their children on the kneecaps. A child's head cannot be touched casually. Hawaiians believe that the head is a shrine to people, and touching a person's head means offense and great disrespect.

behavior

A thief's hand will hurt and develop ringworm, but a promiscuous man will feel pain. People whose feet hurt for no reason while walking should be careful. You may be taking the wrong way.

funeral

Someone in the family is sick or injured and needs to be carried out outside the door. He must have his feet behind his head first. If you lift your head first and your feet later, it will be considered as lifting a dead person, which is very unlucky.

When someone dies in the family, it is the Hawaiian custom to have the whole family mourn, and the more sorrowful you cry, the better. Many family members knocked out their front teeth and self-injured their faces and bodies to express their most sincere condolences.

Editor: )