Ready for a backyard luau? You don’t have to be in Maui enjoying a Lahaina sunset to have your own aloha-style party. But we aren’t talking about plastic flamingos and tiki torches. Here’s our guide to throwing the perfect, authentic (as authentic as you can get outside of the islands) luau.
A traditional Hawaiian luau is a celebration of milestones and birthdays. Luaus usually include live music called mele, a dance called hula and food called mea’ai. Traditionally, luau’s were deeply religious and restrictive, so restrictive that the men couldn’t eat with the women. The 1800s brought a more relaxed leader and, therefore, leniency on the rules. He changed the tradition and ultimately removed religion from luaus, keeping them solely as a cultural celebration with music, dancing and loads of food. So you may not have live hula dancers, but we can replicate the rest.
Music
Traditional Hawaiian music is full of music and rhythm from Hawaiian instruments like ukuleles, slack key guitars and drums. Hawaiian-style falsetto is a common vocal technique for luau singers. Hawaiian luau music fits into two general categories: western-influenced and traditional. The Western-influenced song and dance is usually accompanied by stories of romance, love, and devotion. This is when you’ll see the typical elegancy hula dancing. Conversely, the traditional style includes tribal chants and a heavier reliance on drums.
You can replicate this in your own way but putting on a ‘traditional luau playlist’ on a music streaming platform. Let your guests create their own hula dances!
Food and Drinks
It’s not a party without food and drinks, right? And unless you have an industrial-sized kitchen, amazing culinary skills, and a lot of time on your hands, the odds of you being able to make a traditional Hawaiian meal large enough to feel your whole party, it might be a good idea to consider catering. Homestyle Hawaiian offers catering with pans that serve from 25-30 guests. Will all the traditional luau foods like Kalua pig, Mac salad, and Lumpia, you can trust Homestyle Hawaiin to cover your catering.
Decor
While we all wish we could fly over to Oahu anytime we want, most of the time, we have to make do with what we have. If that means lighting a few tiki torches and setting up flower arrangements, so be it. Your decorations can be entirely your own. To make your party feel like the real thing, consider some string lights for ambient lighting, pineapples and flowers for centerpieces, and maybe even some leis for your guests.
Throwing a Hawaiian-themed party can be a great way to honor a different culture and enjoy some new cuisine. Let Homestyle Hawaiian be part of your celebration by providing the grub!
