Hawaiian Legends
Stories of the islands
One of my favorites is about a girl named Hokulani
Don't Make Eye Contact With The Night Marchers
The night marchers are ghosts of ancient Hawaiian warriors and they're said to roam the islands at night visiting old battlefields and sacred sites. If you hear chanting, drums or marching or if you see torches, you're best bet is to run indoors or to lie quietly on your stomach if you make eye contact with the night marchers, you'll die and be forced to march with them for all of eternity. If you happen to have an ancestor marching, however, no one in the procession can harm you.
Don't Pluck The Red Lehua Blossom
The Ohi'a tree is often the first plant to grow on new lava flows, but don't even think of picking it's beautiful, red Lehua blossom as a souvenir. Both the tree and flower are rooted in Hawaiian legend. Ohi'a and Lehua were young lovers: he was a handsome trickster and she was the most beautiful and gentle girl on the island. But, one day the godess Pele came across Ohi'a and wanted him for herself. When he refused her, she turned him into a twisted, ugly tree. Pele ignored Lehua's please to change him back, but the other gods felt sorry for the young girl. They couldn't reverse Pele's magic, but they did turn Lehua into a beautiful red flower and placed her on the tree so that the two young lovers would never again be apart. It is said that as long as the flowers remain on the tree, the weather is sunny and fair. But when a flower is plucked from the tree, rain falls like tears since Lehua still cannot bear to be separated from her beloved husband Ohi'a.