With Halloween tomorrow, I kept thinking about how Halloween even came about. With its Celtic origin from the pagan festival Samhain which marked the celebration of the harvest. People would wear costumes and light bonfires so that they were palekana (pronounced “pah-leh-kah-nah”), or protected from ghosts.

How does that relate to Hawaii? I started to think about how everyone on the islands is always making sure the the kupuna, the aina and each other are palekana. Palekana seems to extend beyond the physical safeguarding but has that holistic, aloha-approach for all aspects of life, nature and culture. It is making sure that humans and the environment are palekana. When one takes care of the other, the whole ecosystem is in harmony. 

And that’s probably why I feel the the palekana whenever I am in Hawaii. 

What makes you feel palekana? 

Hau’oli la heileui (Happy Halloween)!
(pronounced: how-oh-lee lah hello-wee)

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