In Hawaii, the week after Easter Sunday is when hula halau from the islands of Hawaii and the mainland gather in Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii for the Merrie Monarch Festival.
The Merrie Monarch Festival began in 1964 and has evolved into what is now universally considered to be the world's most prestigious hula competition.
Festival Honors King David Kalakaua
The festival is named in honor of King David Kalakaua, the last king of the Hawaiian islands, whose coronation in 1883 included public displays of hula, which had long been buried under rules imposed by Hawaiian missionaries.Kalakaua ruled for seventeen years. His reign was marked by a resurgence in Hawaiian culture, music and included numerous public performances of hula. Because of his love of dance and music, Kalakaua was nicknamed, "the Merrie Monarch." In his memory and in celebration of Hawaiian culture, dance and music, the Merrie Monarch Festival is held each year.
The Competition
The annual competition extends over three nights. On Thursday evening, the Miss Aloha Hula competition is held. This is a solo competition for females where each dancer performs both hula kahiko (ancient hula) and hula ʻauana (modern hula).The Friday and Saturday competitions are for the hula halau (hula schools). Friday evening marks the hula kahiko competition. Saturday features the hula ʻauana as well as the awards ceremony.
Broadcast Schedule
In Hawaii, KITV4, Island Television will broadcast the 43rd Annual Merrie Monarch festival live on April 12-18, 2009. The broadcast is as follows:- Miss Aloha Hula: Thursday, April 16, 2008 from 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Hawaii time
- Hula Kahiko (ancient): Friday, April 17, 2008 from 6:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. Hawaii time
- Hula Auana (modern): Saturday, April 18, 2008 from 5:30 p.m. -12:00 a.m. Hawaii time
Friday night will feature both kane (men) and wahine (women) halau (groups) dancing the kahiko, traditional dance.
Saturday night kane and wahine halau performi their ʻauana. The festival ends that night with the awards ceremony.
The competition can also be viewed live over the Internet through streaming video on the station's website - TheHawaiiChannel.com.
