It is a known fact that once the airplane lands in Hawaii and the lei has been placed around your neck you are now part of the Ohana. One is now considered to be part of the family.
A family structure looks different within the Hawaiian Islands. Due to how expensive it is to live on the islands many families purchase a nice size piece of land, build a single-family home, where many generations live together under the same roof. Even when the kids graduate from college they return home to live. Most people do marry at a younger age for they want to give back to Ohana and continue adding to the family unit.
Ohana also means home. To be part of an Ohana means to protect that home and that is why the people of the island are taught from a very young age to respect, love and treat the beautiful island. Here are some examples:
Hawaii is a tropical playground from pristine beaches, mesmerizing waterfalls, endless mountains where we are just a guest to this beautiful Ohana, so please remember this when exploring this remarkable place.
It is not odd to see many Ohana gatherings with no reason to celebrate except to spend time with the Ohana by chowing down with tables that are covered with plates on plates of food. There are many other special simple celebrations of Ohana where the entire street combine the cookouts luau style.
