Here in Honolulu, February / March weather means rainbows. You can imagine my surprise, then, when last Sunday my mother asked how much snow I had (oops, wrong daughter!) Trade winds bring the rain and it dumps on Manoa Valley, and since we live on the sunny side of Manoa, we get to peer into the beautifully refracted light almost every day. The Hawaiians, which are sometimes known as the "Rainbow people" have a rich mythology concerning the rainbow. My favorite story:
Lono – Ancient Tiki God of Fertility and Peace
In Hawaiian mythology, Lono is a fertility and music god who descended to Earth on a rainbow to marry Laka. In agricultural and planting traditions, Lono was identified with rain and food plants. He was one of the four gods (with Ku, Kane, and his twin brother Kanaloa) who existed before the world was created. Lono was also the god of peace. In his honor, the great annual festival of the Makahiki was held. During this period (from October through February), all unnecessary work and war was kapu (taboo). This is also the season of taxes, olympic like games and when chiefs regrouped their forces (and organized campaigns ironically).
Damn. I should have read this before February ended. Now I guess I have to do some unnecessary work (manscripts, argh!). At least I got the taxes paid and out of the way!
For more Hawaiian myths and history, check out this website.
4 comments:
Did you take this picture from your apartment? It's fabulous. (No snow this week, by the way).
That picture can't be from your apartment. In fact, I challenge you to take the best picture from your apartment possible. I'll take one from my house and post on my blog. It will be a picture from home blog battle.
Also, how do link blogs on your blog.
Okay, Keith. Let the challenge begin. Does the picture have to be from my lanai? because that picture was taken just up the street....
I was thinking it should be taken from your own home. I thought I would have it in the bag, but we don't really have a decent window. I think you could get a close up of one of those lizards and win.
So let's open it up to within a mile from our home. Hawaii vs. Boise.
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