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!