Hau‘oli ka lā aloha kākou
Anne asked, “How do you say Happy Valentine’s Day in Hawaiian?”
Truth is that we don’t. Can’t recall ever hearing it said in Hawaiian.
So I looked it up in Pukui Elbert, and they’ve listed:
Ka Lā o Lono i ke aweawe aloha “the day of the god of love and mercy” coined only in 1980.
Too long!
It makes sense when you know of Hawai‘i’s relationship with all manner of gods, in this case, St. Valentine.
So I prefer hau‘oli ka lā aloha kākou “happy day of love and aloha for us all.”
Still a bit long, but more of a wish, and one we can say knowing there is a lot of Aloha to go around. Aloha is always plentiful, and always giving, and just needs to be said more often so it can be felt more often.
Say it your way today. English works just as well! Valentine’s Day can be Aloha Blooming!
