What it takes to be the Aloha Festivals’ pau queen

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – In the midst of all the marching bands, entertainers and beautifully decorated floats, a majestic and beautiful figure on horseback emerges as one of the highlights of the Aloha Festivals Floral Parade.

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She is the parade’s pa’u queen, and this year, it is Faith Kalamau who wears the crown.

“Well, I’m so honored to finally ride as Queen. My pa’u journey had started back in 2016 when I first rode as the island princess for the island of Ni’ihau and I have represented eight major islands after that,” says Kalamau.

The origins of the pa’u queen trace back to the days of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Ali’i women would get dressed up for equestrian events, something that almost became non existent after the overthrow of the kingdom. It came back to life years later when formal riding groups called pa’u riders were organized, and today we see these riders at the Aloha Festival and other parades in Hawaii.

“Now I am so honored to ride as this year’s pa’u queen, honoring Queen Lili’uokalani.”

To be the pa’u queen, you must first have served as a princess and represented each major island of Hawaii. There’s also a whole lot that goes into looking good. After all, you must wear a pa’u, lei and adornments, all while riding a horse in front of a panel of judges and greeting those watching the parade.

“You must, of course, good posture, good posture, always smiling and then gracefully giving hand gesture from your mouth to your heart and outwards to the audience. And of course, always giving a kuno to your right to acknowledge your audience on the right and a kuno to the left,” she explains.

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Kalamau also acknowledges that it is the behind-the-scenes ohana, however, that should be credited for the success of any pa’u rider.

“A whole week of preparation with making horse leis, neck leis, hat leis, um the gathering of flowers and foliage, putting each bundle together to create that horse lei that goes around the horse. It takes a lot of work. It takes a village and I’m so grateful to have all these individuals that come out to help us to make our pa’u unit a great success.

The queen specifically sends a special shoutout to her supporters in Papakolea who have helped since 2019, a hui made up of dozens who give freely of their time and as an expression of Aloha which is what the spirit of this festival is all about.

“Aloha mai, aloha au kou. People love that sense of belonging, that sense of wanting to help when you just share the spirit of Aloha and so that’s what we continue to do. That’s what I tell my unit to continue to do, just sharing the spirit of aloha.

The Aloha Festivals 78th Floral Parade is Saturday, September 26, from 9 a.m. to 12p.m. It begins at Ala Moana Park, goes through Waikiki via Kalakaua Avenue and ends at Kapiolani Park.

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