Halloween in Hawaii


 

I lived in Hawaii for almost 12 years. Spirits and the supernatural are a very real and vital part of the Hawaiian culture.  One could not attend a performance by one of the many wonderful Hula Haluas here and not be aware of that.
I heard many tales and traditional myths in my years there. Many at camping trips on the beach around the campfire and I have experienced "chicken skin" first hand.  I remember all the stories about the stranger hitchhiking on the Pali Road (which crosses the moutains between Honolulu and the windward side of the island of Oahu). who gets in your car and carries on a conversation and then disappears. And then there are all the strange light phenomena in all sorts of remote areas of all the islands. I can remember the first time I visited the heiau (an ancient altar) that is on the cliff above Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu. There were offerings wrapped in ti leaves all over the walls and fruits and some kind of animal bones on the altar itself.  Even in the middle of the afternoon it was really creepy.  Needless to say I have never visited there at night.  And of course we can't forget all the "accidents" that occurred during the construction of H3 (our new freeway on Oahu) which passes through sacred land. There are many similar stories from construction workers on lots of other sites throughout the islands.

There are also several old stories about what is today is
State Park and is just a few short miles from where we live here on the Big Island of Hawaii.  There are supposed to be some ancient Hawaiian graves there and many hikers and campers have come out shaking! Once we went camping at South Point (the southern most point of the United States) which is about 12 miles from our home. I had been reading the book Chicken Skin and kept recalling the stories of the nightmarchers, and of course I had heard these stories from friends as well. The night marchers are the spirits of the ancient Hawaiian warriors and they march to the drums still. If they pass you and they see you they will take you with them, so you have to hide if you hear them coming. It was a very windy night, typical for this area, and I kept listening for the drums of the nightmarchers and looking out the door of the tent for a sighting.  Fortunately I didn't see them and (better yet) they didn't see me. There are also lots of tales about the beautiful Puueo (Hawaiian owl).  We have one who visits our house often, he likes to eat the gecko's that gather outside because they like to eat the bugs and moths attracted by the lights.  They can be a harbinger of bad luck, but it is said that if they look into your eyes, that will bring you good luck.

Of course any consideration of the supernatural in Hawaii
must include Pele, the goddess of the volcano.  We live just 59 miles from the site if the most active volcano in the world, Kileaua.  This is the home of Pele.  There are alway offerings left on the rim of the Haleamaumau crater and many Hula halaus have preformed there. Local folk lore is full of stories about Pele.  She may appear as an old woman, or a young woman.  She may be helpful in warning you of a crisis or she may bring a crisis upon you.  Everyone who lives on this island with it's 3 active volcanoes has a certain degree of respect for Madame Pele. Please visit the sites below to learn more about Hawaii myth and legends, Volcanoes National Park (the home of Madame Pele), and see the wonderful pictures of Madame Pele by Herb Kane.  He's one of my favorite local artists and writers and his painting are fantastic, you can order them from his page on-line!

If you're looking a good book of ghost stories for you next campout, try the two books suggested on my Chicken Skin home page, they're really scary!!
 

LINKS:
 Hawaii Volcano Observatories Home Page

 Bishop Museam
 

If you live in Hawaii
and you have a scary story of your own,
I would love to include it on this site.
Please email me your Hawaiian ghost stories
and include you name and I will past it to this page!!

 









 
 
What's a ghost's favorite breakfast? 

Boo-Berrys