Makahiki

The three seasonal stages

Makahiki unfolds in three successive periods. The opening stage, hoʻokupu, centers on spiritual purification and the gathering of taxes. Land managers called konohiki collect produce, woven mats, dried seafood and rare feathers from each community. A wooden staff representing Lono circles the island clockwise, carried by priests to receive these goods at boundary stone altars. The middle stage opens wide public merrymaking, athletic matches and family celebrations. Finally, the tax canoe, waʻa ʻauhau, is sent into the ocean filled with tribute. To conclude the season, the high chief returns from sea and deflects incoming spears to demonstrate his strength and right to command.

Games and tests of skill

During the festive weeks, people devote themselves to traditional pastimes known as paʻani kahiko. Community members compete in running contests, swimming trials, canoe regattas and strength matches on land. Athletes also speed down stone tracks on wooden sleds, such as the preserved course at Keauhou. Alongside physical challenges, native Hawaiians value intellectual contests that challenge memory and wit. Families gather to solve riddles, recite unbroken genealogies, decipher layered proverbs and explore hidden meanings in words. Spectators wager on their champions, and these historic challenges remain an essential tool for passing ancestral heritage to newer generations.

Meaning and celestial timing

The arrival of Makahiki marks the shift from crop gathering to a fresh planting cycle. Priests watch the night sky to determine the opening date. On the island of Hawaiʻi, the festival starts on the crescent moon following the sunset rise of the Pleiades star cluster, called Makaliʻi, in mid-November. On Oʻahu, observers track Makaliʻi above specific temple sites or watch for the bright star Sirius near coastal cliffs. Because warfare is strictly forbidden, crops grow undisturbed and the land experiences rest. Today, the legacy of this peaceful winter renewal continues across the islands through the annual Aloha Festivals.

How Makahiki is kept

The observance starts when sky watchers sight the Pleiades star cluster. Priests carry a decorated sacred staff around each district, receiving tribute at stone boundary markers. Ordinary tasks and fighting cease entirely. People prepare large commemorative feasts, perform hula dances and compete in outdoor races, water sports and memory games. At the conclusion, an offering boat is released into the sea, and the ruling chief must successfully parry spears cast by local warriors before regular daily work and political life resume.

When and where

Makahiki lasts four lunar months, extending from late autumn around October or November to early spring in February or March. The start is determined by stargazers who watch for the Pleiades constellation to appear on the horizon after sundown, usually around mid-November, followed by the next crescent moon.

The festival developed across the Hawaiian Islands. Tribute was gathered at stone boundary altars separating each mountain-to-ocean land division, while modern celebrations like the Aloha Festivals take place across the island chain.

What Makahiki means

Makahiki celebrates Lono, who brings agricultural abundance, rain, vitality and peace. By outlawing combat and farm work, the season guarantees undisturbed rest for fields and families. Tributary gifts and tests of physical or mental skill strengthen social bonds, honor ancestral heritage, and demonstrate the vitality and legitimate leadership of the chiefs.

On the table

• taro
• sweet potatoes
• pigs
• dry fish

Questions people ask about Makahiki

See also

LosarThe Tibetan Buddhist New Year festival of renewal, offerings, and family feastsChristmasA festival of Jesus's birth, kept on 25 December with gifts, lights and shared mealsHalloweenAn annual observance on 31 October marking the eve of All Saints' Day, rooted in Christian tradition and Celtic heritageChristmas treeA decorated evergreen or artificial tree placed indoors to mark the Christmas season.

Good reading and sources

• Makahiki on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.