Customary/Ritual
Hawaiian 1st Birthday
Eric Dreyer
Mercer Island, WA.
October 25th, 2020
Informant Data:
Eric was born in Seattle, WA in 1998 to a Hawaiian mother and a German father. Eric grew up in Mercer Island, WA, and currently attends the University of Washington, where he is studying biology. He visits his mother’s family in Hawaii about once a year but has lost touch with much of his Hawaiian culture.
Contextual Data:
Cultural Context: In the Hawaiian culture, the baby’s first birthday is considered a very significant milestone. The tradition itself arises from ancient ceremonies called “aha’aina” which means “gathering for a feast.” First birthdays were a segment of these large ceremonies because children who beat the odds of childbirth were presented with large feasts. Nowadays, the first birthday, or ‘baby luau,’ is more centered around starting a long and healthy life for the child. Also, the term ‘luau’ arose in the 1850s, referring to the food being served on luau leaves.
Social Context: The ‘baby luau’ is centered around the large feast that feeds the large number of people attending the celebration. Many people of the extended family bring smaller plates of food to add to the traditional servings, like the roasted pig. The food is served buffet-style on a big table called a ‘pupu line.’ Often these celebrations have a party theme, something kid-related like certain toys, cartoons, or sports. People will bring gifts related to this theme or possibly monetary gifts.
Item:
When Eric was much younger, he attended an extended family member’s baby luau in Kauai, one of the smaller Hawaiian Islands. He recalls seeing hundreds of people attending the ceremony and lots of food lining a long table. However, his most significant memory of the baby luau was the sports-themed party. He recalls napkins with sports balls on them, balloons with team logos, and lots of other kids playing around the party, passing soccer balls and footballs. This theme even extended into the clothing that the hosts and the baby were wearing. Eric knew of the luau themes but has never seen another luau dedicate so much effort to consolidating so many celebration aspects around the theme.
Mitchell Meade
Hanover, NH
Dartmouth College
RUSS 13 Fall 2020