Public invited to sew lei for fallen service members in Memorial Day tradition

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – In an annual tradition that honors fallen U.S. service members, the City of Honolulu will adorn every grave Puowaina with a fresh lei for Memorial Day.

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For more than 70 years, the community has come together to sew and drape lei as a way of saying mahalo for the military’s service and sacrifice.

The public is invited to join the tradition by helping make and gather 38,000 lei, one for every servicemember laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

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Anyone is welcome to donate their own lei. Organizers ask that lei be made of fresh flowers, preferably plumeria, crown flower, or ti leaf, and measure 20-22 inches when tied.

Lei-making on Thursday, May 21:

lei-making on Friday, May 22, 2026:

Graduating students can to donate their used fresh flower or ti leaf lei from their celebrations to any of the lei-sewing locations or drop off locations.

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Lei drop off information:

Click here for more information.