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When Christian missionaries saw the hula, they were appalled by the overtly sensual movements of scarcely clad men and women. Under the missionaries’ influence, Queen Ka’ahumanu, King Kamehameha’s favorite wife, forbid hula. Sixty years later, King Kaläkaua revived many Hawaiian traditions including hula. For his delight in the ancient pleasures, he became known as the Merrie Monarch.

But with the overthrow of the kingdom, hula once became again a rare event. Some might even have wondered if the tradition was lost all together. Fortunately, the sacred knowledge lived on hidden from exposure. And a few decades later, in the early 1900’s, hula reemerged to lure tourists to the islands, even though at first it was a commercialized “grass-skirt-girl” version iof the ancient dance. (By the way, Hawaiians never danced in grass skirts. Often they use ti leaf that has been stripped into narrow strips.)

In May 1960, after the last big tidal wave devastated the town of Hilo, the town leaders looked for ways to attract more visitors. A “Merrie Monarch Festival”, they felt, would become a cultural event, celebrating the sacred Hawaiian ways. Traditionally, Hawaiians loved competition, and so it was decided to make this a hula contest, showcasing the best of the best. The first competition took place in a tiny gymnasium, with nine hälau (hula schools) participating.

Through the years the audience has grown. In 1979 the little gym no longer fit and the Merrie Monarch moved to the Edith Kanaka’ole stadium. In 1980, television cameras arrived, and ever since, the Merrie Monarch has been receiving uninterrupted live coverage on State-wide television. Many people all over the state watch the non-stop coverage day after day.

Both men’s and women’s hula are performed. Each group dances once in kahiko, the style of the ancients, and once they must dance ‘auana, which is called “modern.”

A raw life force marks the kahiko dances. The steps and movements convey power, sensuality, and a deep reverence for the balancing forces of nature. Kahiko dancers’ costumes show primary colors, and often a lot of skin.

For the ‘auana division, the women often dress in long flowing gowns, sometimes up to the neck. The men often wear aloha shirt and slacks. But today, some groups take different approaches as befits “modern” hula.