Lūʻau

A lūʻau (Hawaiian: lūʻau, also anglicized as "luau") is a traditional Hawaiian party or feast that is usually accompanied by entertainment. It often features Native Hawaiian cuisine with foods such as poi, kālua puaʻa (kālua pig), poke, lomi salmon, lomi oio, ʻopihi, and haupia, and is often accompanied with beer and entertainment such as traditional Hawaiian music, kanikapila, and hula. Among people from Hawaiʻi, the concepts of "lūʻau" and "party" are often blended, resulting in graduation lūʻau, wedding lūʻau, baby lūʻau, and birthday lūʻau.

History

In ancient Hawaiʻi, men and women ate meals separately, according to the religious kapu (taboo) system which governed the way of life of Native Hawaiians in every aspect. Commoners and women were not allowed to eat foods that were rarely eaten or foods that were only served during special occasions. However, in 1819, King Kamehameha II performed the act of eating with the women, thus ending the kapu, and entering the period called the ʻAi Noa. Messengers were then sent over the islands announcing that eating was free and the kapu had fallen. This is when the lūʻau parties were first created, dinners or smaller gatherings called pāʻina or larger feasts called ʻahaʻaina.

The modern name goes back at least to 1856, when so used by the Pacific Commercial Advertiser. It referenced the wedding celebration of King Kamehameha IV and Queen Emma: “On the following day the palace grounds were thrown open to the native population, large numbers of whom visited the King and Queen, and partook of a luau (or native feast), prepared for them. A luau was also served up at the residence of Dr. Rooke.”