• The Fourth of July and Hawai‘i The Fourth of July and Hawai‘i Americans going on in the brought Fourth of July celebrating to Hawai‘i long before the Hawaiian Islands became a territory or state. A traveler in the mid-1800s
• The Fourth of July and Hawai‘i
The Fourth of July and Hawai‘i
Americans going on in the brought Fourth of July celebrating to Hawai‘i long before the Hawaiian Islands became a territory or state. A traveler in the mid-1800s observed fireworks and other celebrating Niumalu-Nawiliwili area.
This tradition lives on today on Kaua‘i with the Kaua‘i Hospice “Concert in the Sky” set for tomorrow afternoon and evening. The event is a major fund-raiser for this charitable group, and sure to draw thousands of local residents and visitors.
Another Fourth of July celebration is the annual event along the banks of the Kalihiwai River. This down-home North Shore celebration recalls simpler times on Kaua‘i with its massive pot luck, hot dogs and low-key fire-works.
Tomorrow night, fireworks will be in the hand of children as well as adults, on beaches, in backyards and along roads. Hopefully the recent rains will put the damper on any potential brush fires or house fires caused by fireworks.
Another July celebration that is being revived is what was well known in 19th century Hawai‘i as Restoration Day. This occurred on July 31, 1843, when Admiral Thomas of the English Navy restored sovereignty to the Hawaiian Kingdom following the headstrong actions of an English naval officer who raised the British flag in Honolulu.
Ka Hae Hawai‘i, or the flag of the Hawaiian Kingdom that still serves as our state flag today, was raised as British cannons fired in honor. King Kamehameha III declared a 10-day holiday for his kingdom. He moved from what is today known as Thomas Square in Honolulu to the rock-walled Kawaiahao Church. During the church service, the king took the pulpit and declared “Ua mau ke ea o ka ‘aina i ka pono,” or “The Life of the Land is Preserved in Righteousness,” our state motto today.
Later that year, Hawai‘i’s sovereignty was confirmed through diplomatic pacts with Great Britain, France and the United States. The king then declared Nov. 28 as Hawai‘i’s own “Independence Day.”
These traditions of freedom, old and new, underlie the freedoms we enjoy today as citizens of the State of Hawai‘i and of the United States.
