Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

How are you, or did you, spend New Year’s Eve? Mine has been smoky and loud! I can’t take credit for writing everything below but I can take credit for sharing it with you.

LOUD: Oahu appears headed for a loud and smoky New Years' Eve. Almost 2,000 more permits for firecrackers were sold this year than last. In 2009 8,050 permits were sold. Thursday afternoon, when the city stopped selling permits for the 2010 New Years celebration, 10,008 permits had been issued. Each $25 permit allows its holder to purchase strands of 5,000 fire crackers. Fireworks can only be used between 9 p.m. December 31st and 1 a.m. January 1st. As of January 2nd, 2011, most consumer fireworks will be banned on Oahu. Sparklers, fountains, snakes, and other ground-based fireworks will be illegal to possess and use. But firecrackers will still be available with the purchase of a $25 permit.

SMOKY: Tradewinds are departing with the old year, which means Oahu is in for very hazy and smoky conditions for New Year's Eve. Persons with respiratory problems should take precautions because of fireworks smoke.

TRADITIONS: Many people serve or eat sashimi for New Year’s Eve and New Years. People flock to fresh fish markets looking for the best quality fish for the right price for the New Year's party. Prices for the higher end quality ahi were hovering around $30. Friday morning, some supplies of certain grades of fish were already running low. Some shoppers were waiting in line even before markets opened!

What is sashimi? Sashimi is a Japanese delicacy. It primarily consists of very fresh raw seafood, sliced into thin pieces, and served only with a dipping sauce (soy sauce with wasabi paste or such condiments as grated fresh ginger, or ponzu), and such garnishes as shiso and shredded daikon radish. The word sashimi means pierced body.

NEW YEAR’S DAY: Fukubukuro (lucky bag, mystery bag) is a Japanese New Year's Day custom where merchants make grab bags filled with unknown random contents and sell them for a substantial discount, usually 50% or more off the list price of the items contained within. The low prices are usually done to attract customers to shop at that store during the New Year. Fukubukuro usually are snapped up quickly by eager customers, with some stores having long lines snake around city blocks hours before the store opens on New Year's Day. Formerly, Fukubukuro were an easy way for stores to unload excess and unwanted merchandise from the previous year, due to a Japanese superstition that one must not start the New Year with unwanted trash from the previous year and start clean. Nowadays, Fukubukuro are pushed as a lavish New Year's event rather than a way for stores to get rid of excess merchandise.

WHALE WATCHING: To Hawaiians, the whale is a representation of the Hawaiian god, Kanaloa - the god of animals in the ocean. Humpback whales (na kohola) are found in all oceans, although they generally prefer near shore and near-island habitats for both feeding and breeding. Since adult whales rarely feed in Hawaii, many of the behaviors are specific to mating.

A large percentage of the North Pacific humpback whales migrate to the main Hawaiian islands during the winter months - November through May - each year. The round-trip distance they travel during this annual migration is approximately 4,000 miles, one of the longest migration distances of any animal species. During their stay in Hawaii, they do not feed, but rely upon stored energy. Near the islands, the whales devote most of their time to mating and giving birth to their calves. While visiting the islands, kohola have become renowned for their various acrobatic displays.

2011: The first weekend of the New Year may be a wet one for Oahu! Another disturbance is due in Saturday night with scattered showers and maybe even a few thunderstorms through Sunday. More normal tradewind weather is due back Monday. In Hawaii these winter “disturbances” can be similar to a winter weather watch or warning back in Kansas. This means heavy rain coming straight down (no wind), for days; brown water advisories and winds out of the south. Winds out of the south are also known as “kona” winds since they come from the direction of the big island. These winds bring vog, poor air quality and high humidity. Brown water advisories mean to stay away from brown water in the streets, yards and ocean. The water becomes brown from the chemicals, pesticides and other “crap” in the ground.

A FULL MOON: A box jellyfish influx is expected 7 to 11 days after a full moon. Typically warning signs go up during these periods, people are warned to stay out of the ocean and the influx is included in the weather forecast on local tv.

Until 2011, love, hugs and prayers to my faithful followers, if your still out there!

The Holidays

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the land where palm trees sway!

By the time you read this Brent and Tammi will have made it through their first Thanksgiving and Christmas apart since being married. How was it? Now we can say it was okay but on those special days it was rough. Tammi immersed herself in work preparing for year end in payroll and accounting by working 16 hour days. Brent volunteered to be on call for Thanksgiving and Christmas staying busy with work and household chores. Tammi started a Hawaiian Christmas tradition of spending time at the beach and putting her toes in the water. Brent enjoyed some good home cooking as his parents made the trip from Fulton to Wichita for both holidays.

So, you know what Thanksgiving and Christmas are like on the mainland but you may be wondering what they are like in Hawaii. Well, basically the same just a little warmer. For Thanksgiving, meals differ from family to family as they do on the mainland. Most people I talked to had the traditional turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie. Some have never tasted scalloped potatoes or my famous, fattening mashed potatoes but the menus seem to be the same. Oh, but add rice to the meal! I think rice is served with every meal here! For Christmas most people I talked with were having ham, turkey, beef or prime rib for dinner. A few were heading to the mainland to enjoy some skiing and others were heading to another island to be with family.

The big retail stores were selling fall decorations but there didn’t seem to be the large selection that I remember in Kansas. I also didn’t see many decorations as I travelled around Oahu. Of course, I don’t go very far now that I’m working long hours. Christmas is Christmas is Christmas. The stores were full of decorations, gifts and shoppers! People go all out here decorating just like they do on the mainland. The major differences I see in Hawaii are the weather and the people. It was 80 degrees and sunny on Christmas Eve and Christmas on the leeward side of the island. The windward side wasn’t as lucky! Christmas Eve it rained like cats and dogs (so heavy they said it was coming down at the rate of 2 inches per hour for awhile)! The windward side of the island happens to be where the Obama’s are staying.

About the people. I can’t believe the number of people who were out and about on Christmas! Waikiki was packed with tourists and the stores and restaurants were open 10 am to 10 pm. As they say in Waikiki, every day is a holiday. I don’t miss the days I spent in retail! Most gifts on the shelves seem to be the same that you would find on the mainland but add a bit of an Asian feel. Lots of rice cookers and small food items that are popular in Japan. It makes sense since most tourists here are from Japan and I think most everyone living on the island has Japanese ancestry.

Oh the lights, the lights, the lights! If you ever get to Oahu in December be sure to check out the Honolulu City Lights! Very nice! However, at this point I don’t recommend visiting Hawaii in December unless you like rain! Winter in Hawaii is the rainy season. Although, if you want a white Christmas I can guarantee one in Hawaii; white sand! And while it may rain the temperature remains around 80 and shorts are still the best attire!

I promised some interesting holiday facts or trivia about Hawaii in my last post. Hopefully this fulfills my promise…

Mele Kalikimaka - Merry Christmas. The words "Mele Kalikimaka" are a phonetic translation. When the missionaries and other Westerners first brought the custom of Christmas to the islands the Hawaiians had difficulty pronouncing Merry Christmas and turned it into words that rolled more easily off their tongues.

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou - Happy New Year. The western Christmas and New Year fell during this same time of the year that the Hawaiians traditionally honored the earth for giving them plenty to eat. This period of resting and feasting was called Makahiki (mah-kah-HEE- kee). It lasted for 4 months, and no wars or conflicts were allowed during this time. Because makahiki also means "year", the Hawaiian phrase for "Happy New Year" became "Hau'oli (happy) Makahiki (year) Hou (new)"(how-OH-lee mah-kah-hee-kee

Mahalo Nui Loa - Thank you very much. When you receive a nice gift or are treated to a s pecial meal or beautiful song, you'll want to express your appreciation for the kindness.

Until New Year’s eve, love, hugs and prayers to my faithful followers, if your still out there!