May 1 means different things in different parts of the world, but here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it means Lei Day, a statewide celebration of Hawaiian culture and the spirit of "aloha," that intangible sense of warmth, belonging, and connection that emanates from this isolated chain of volcanic islands. Lei Day was first celebrated in 1927 and made an official holiday in 1929. It also happens to fall on the first day of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, which honors Americans of Asian, Melanesian, Micronesian, and Polynesian heritage. May is the month the first Japanese immigrants arrived in the US in 1843, and the month the transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869 by, mostly, Chinese immigrants.
AAPI Heritage Month & Lei Day
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Apple trees in spring, Germany
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A garden of prickly delights
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Grab onto the handlebars, kid
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To Sua Ocean Trench
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A narrow passage
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Does it swim in slow motion too?
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It s a good day to be green
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Celebrating whales—and a whale of a tale
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Punakaiki on South Island, New Zealand
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Fiesta at Siesta
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Full moon
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International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, Harbin, China
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Welcome to ‘Hollywood North’
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Celebrating Take Your Dog to Work Day
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World Sea Turtle Day
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Piazza IX Aprile, Taormina, Sicily, Italy
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International Moon Day
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The circular castle of Cornwall
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Happy Birthday, Eiffel Tower
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World Whale Day
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Devetashka Cave, Devetaki, Bulgaria
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World Oceans Day
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Arbor Day
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Go by Kehinde Wiley
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The rainbow connection
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Serra de Tramuntana, Majorca, Spain
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A stroll above the stratosphere
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Fossil Day
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White Sands National Park turns 90
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It s ∞ Day!