Last weekend, Hawaii played host again to the annual Pan-Pacific festival. It's a three-day fun-filled with events such as traditional performing arts, hula, cultural demonstrations and more. The festival celebrates the relationship among the people of Hawaii, Japan, the US mainland and other Pan-Pacific regions. Last year, I had a great time at the Ho'olaule'a (block party) along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. This year, I skipped that (due to the light showers plus I was too tired from my class earlier in the day) and instead went to the see the traditional Taiko Festival on Saturday at the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center.

Taiko is a drumming style of Japanese origin. Literally, taiko means "fat drum," although there is a vast array of shapes and sizes of taiko. Taiko has continued to find a place in religious ceremonies, both Buddhist and Shinto, and it is extremely common to find taiko in both temples and shrines. Taiko, although utilizing ancient instruments, has been infused with a thoroughly modern spirit, and has continued to grow in popularity in both Japan and throughout the world. With a incredibly deep traditional base to draw on, and with groups such as Kodo pushing taiko music to ever greater musical heights, taiko stands poised to become a part of the universal musical language drawing our world closer together. Click on this and this to view some of the performance captured on my camera on YouTube.

Sunday marked the last day of the festival and it ended with a really colorful parade along Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki. I was going to stop by Kapiolani Park first to check out the Kaze or Wind festival but decided to forgo it in order to get a good spot for my pictures. I thought I did but had to move because of the sun and glare in the first few shots. So I walked quickly down the street to find spot (not in the sun) and continue with my picture taking. The slide show below shows more photos taken by me of the Taiko festival as well as the Mahsuri parade. Enjoy!

Labels: festival, fun, weekend