Merrie Monarch Festival
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The Merrie Monarch Festival is a week-long hula festival that takes place annually in Hilo, Hawaii. It honors King David Kalakaua, who was nicknamed the "Merry Monarch" for his patronage of the arts. He is credited with restoring many Hawaiian cultural traditions during his reign, including the hula. Many hula halau (schools), including some from the U.S. Mainland, attend the festival each year to participate in the festival competitions, which are considered the most prestigious of all hula contests.
The festival week always starts on Easter Sunday and continues with craft fairs, entertainment, and cultural demonstrations during the week. The festivities culminate in the annual competitions held at the Edith Kanaka'ole Tennis Stadium: the Miss Aloha Hula solo competition on Thursday, and the kahiko (ancient) and 'auana (modern) hula competitions held on the Friday and Saturday. This is called by many the Olympics of hula.
External links
Merrie Monarch Festival official site (http://www.merriemonarchfestival.org) Merrie Monarch Festival photographs (http://www.merriemonarch.org) Merrie Monarch Festival statistics and information (http://www.kalena.com/merriemonarch/)