The Hula is one of the best ways to connect with the spirit of Hawaii. More than just a dance, hula combines joyful choreography and the epic poetry of chants, or mele, that are rooted in Hawaiian culture. Hula has also served as a popular entertainment, danced for appreciative audiences with themes of natural beauty, passion and and other deeply felt emotion. It was not spirituality in a religious, or other- worldly moralizing sense, but as a means of expressing awe, appreciation and homage.
The Merrie Monarch Festival Hula Competition is the premier hula competition held annually in Hilo, Hawaii. The Merrie Monarch Festival is a week-long cultural event held annually in Hilo on the island of Hawaii (also known as the "Big Island"). Festivities start on Easter Sunday and culminate with the hula competition events at Edith Kanaka'ole Tennis Stadium -- Miss Aloha Hula on Thursday, Hula Kahiko on Friday, and Hula 'Auana on Saturday. Teach me how to Hula!
