Makahiki: Hawaiian New Year - Lono Worship, War Prohibition, Sports Competitions & Tax Collection

BY NICOLE LAU

Makahiki is the ancient Hawaiian New Year festival, celebrated for approximately four months (October/November to February/March) during the rainy season when the Pleiades (Makali'i) constellation appears in the evening sky. This sacred period features worship of Lono (god of agriculture, fertility, and peace), prohibition of war and unnecessary work, athletic competitions and games, hula performances, feasting, and collection of taxes (ho'okupu) for chiefs and temples. Makahiki represents Hawaiian understanding that time is cyclical with sacred seasons requiring different activities, that Lono's return brings rain and fertility, that periodic cessation of war is necessary for social renewal, that athletic competition and play are sacred practices, and that tribute to chiefs and gods ensures cosmic and social balance. The festival demonstrates how Indigenous Hawaiian spirituality integrates agriculture, politics, athletics, and cosmology into unified practice of seasonal renewal and demonstrates how suppressed traditions can be partially revitalized in contemporary contexts.

Lono: God of Agriculture and Peace

Makahiki is dedicated to Lono, one of the four major Hawaiian gods (alongside Kū, Kāne, and Kanaloa). Lono governs agriculture, fertility, rainfall, music, and peace. During Makahiki, Lono symbolically returns to the islands, bringing rain for crops and blessings for the people. The god is represented by the Lonomakua, a tall pole with a crosspiece from which white kapa (bark cloth) and feathers hang, creating a sail-like image that is carried in procession around each island.

Lono's association with peace means that during Makahiki, war is kapu (forbidden/taboo). This demonstrates that Hawaiian cosmology understands that different seasons require different activities, that agriculture and war are incompatible, and that periodic peace is necessary for social and spiritual renewal.

The Pleiades and Seasonal Timing

Makahiki begins when the Pleiades (Makali'i) constellation appears in the evening sky, demonstrating Hawaiian astronomical knowledge and the integration of celestial observation with agricultural and religious calendars. The Pleiades' appearance signals the beginning of the rainy season, the time for planting and the cessation of warfare.

Kapu: Sacred Prohibitions

During Makahiki, numerous kapu (taboos/sacred prohibitions) are observed: war is forbidden, unnecessary work ceases, certain foods and activities are restricted, and the focus shifts from productivity to celebration, renewal, and worship. These kapu demonstrate that Hawaiian society had sophisticated systems of sacred law, that rest and celebration are as important as work, and that periodic cessation of normal activities creates space for spiritual and social renewal.

The war prohibition is particularly significant, demonstrating that Hawaiian culture valued peace and understood that constant warfare was unsustainable. The Makahiki peace allowed for healing, reconciliation, and preparation for the coming year.

Athletic Competitions: Sacred Play

Makahiki features extensive athletic competitions and games, including surfing, canoe racing, wrestling, spear throwing, boxing, and various traditional Hawaiian sports. These competitions are not mere entertainment but sacred practices honoring Lono, demonstrating physical prowess, and creating community cohesion through friendly rivalry. The games also serve as training for warriors during the peace period and as displays of chiefly power and generosity (chiefs sponsor competitions and provide prizes).

Surfing: He'e Nalu

Surfing (he'e nalu, "wave sliding") is central to Makahiki celebrations and Hawaiian culture more broadly. Surfing was not just sport but spiritual practice, with specific beaches, boards, and waves considered sacred. Chiefs and commoners alike surfed, though the best waves and longest boards were reserved for ali'i (nobility). Surfing demonstrates Hawaiian intimate relationship with the ocean, the integration of play and spirituality, and the importance of skill and courage.

Hula: Sacred Dance

Makahiki features hula performances, the sacred Hawaiian dance that tells stories, honors gods, and transmits cultural knowledge. Hula is not entertainment but religious practice, with specific dances dedicated to Lono and other deities. The dancers undergo rigorous training and spiritual preparation, and performances are offerings to the gods and chiefs. Hula demonstrates that Hawaiian culture is embodied, that dance is vehicle for storytelling and worship, and that movement carries spiritual power.

Hula Kahiko and Hula 'Auana

Traditional hula (hula kahiko) uses ancient chants, percussion instruments, and movements, while modern hula (hula 'auana) incorporates contemporary music and styles. Both forms are practiced during Makahiki, demonstrating that tradition evolves while maintaining core elements.

Ho'okupu: Tribute and Taxation

During Makahiki, people bring ho'okupu (tribute/offerings) to chiefs and temples—agricultural products, crafted goods, and other valuables. This tribute serves multiple functions: it supports chiefs and priests, redistributes wealth (chiefs are expected to be generous), demonstrates loyalty and social hierarchy, and offers thanksgiving to Lono for abundance. The tribute system demonstrates that Hawaiian society had complex economic and political structures, that chiefs had both rights and responsibilities, and that taxation was integrated with religious practice.

The Makahiki Procession

A key Makahiki ritual is the procession of the Lonomakua (Lono image) around each island, stopping at each ahupua'a (land division) to collect tribute and perform ceremonies. The procession creates sacred circuit, blessing the land and people, and demonstrating chiefly authority and divine presence. The procession also serves as census and tax collection, integrating spiritual and administrative functions.

The Kali'i Ceremony

At the end of Makahiki, the Kali'i ceremony marks the transition back to the season of Kū (god of war and productivity). This ceremony involves mock battle between the returning chief and the Lono priests, symbolizing the shift from peace to potential warfare, from Lono's season to Kū's season. The ceremony demonstrates that Hawaiian cosmology understands time as alternating between different divine influences and social modes.

Colonial Suppression and Partial Revival

Like many Indigenous Hawaiian practices, Makahiki was suppressed after Western contact and the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Christian missionaries viewed the festival as pagan, and the kapu system was officially abolished in 1819. Makahiki observance declined dramatically, with only fragments surviving in rural communities and cultural memory.

In recent decades, there has been partial revival of Makahiki as part of broader Hawaiian cultural renaissance. Contemporary Makahiki celebrations occur in schools, communities, and cultural organizations, featuring traditional games, hula, and education about Hawaiian culture. However, the full four-month festival with its complex rituals and social reorganization has not been fully restored, demonstrating both the resilience of Hawaiian culture and the profound disruptions caused by colonization.

Contemporary Makahiki

Today's Makahiki celebrations are typically shorter (days or weeks rather than months) and focus on cultural education, athletic competitions, and community building. Schools use Makahiki to teach Hawaiian language, history, and values. The celebrations demonstrate that Hawaiian culture is being actively revitalized, that traditional practices can be adapted to contemporary contexts, and that Makahiki serves as vehicle for cultural transmission to younger generations.

Lessons from Makahiki

Makahiki teaches that the Hawaiian New Year is four-month festival honoring Lono, god of agriculture, fertility, and peace, that war is kapu (forbidden) during Makahiki, creating sacred season of peace and renewal, that athletic competitions including surfing, canoe racing, and traditional games are sacred practices, that hula performances honor gods and transmit cultural knowledge through embodied storytelling, that ho'okupu (tribute) to chiefs and temples integrates taxation with religious practice and wealth redistribution, that the Makahiki procession around each island blesses the land and collects tribute, and that Makahiki's suppression and partial revival demonstrate both colonial violence and Hawaiian cultural resilience.

In recognizing Makahiki, we encounter the ancient Hawaiian New Year, when the Pleiades appear and Lono returns bringing rain and fertility, when war ceases and the kapu of peace descends, when surfers ride sacred waves and canoes race across the ocean, when hula dancers honor the gods with ancient movements and chants, when ho'okupu is brought to chiefs and temples, when the Lonomakua processes around the islands blessing the land, when athletic competitions demonstrate prowess and create community bonds, and where Hawaiian tradition demonstrates that Makahiki is both agricultural festival and political ceremony, both sacred worship and joyful play, and that the festival—though suppressed by colonization and only partially revived—remains powerful symbol of Hawaiian culture, a reminder that there was a time when war stopped for four months, when Lono's peace reigned, and when the people celebrated, competed, danced, and gave thanks for the abundance of the land and the blessings of the gods.