Winter is Coming...

“O ‘Ikuwa ke Kane, O Kapohako’ele’ele ka Wahine, hānau mai ka laua o Welehu he keiki kane no”.

Ikuwa was the male, Kapohakoeleele was the female, and born to them was Welehu, a male child.

 

For some, it may seem laughable that in Hawaiian tradition we have a “winter” season, commonly known as Ho’oilo, that complements our “summer” season of Kau.  Those who are from or have spent time in colder climates think of “winter” and the “wet season” as filled with cold, grey days and nights, snowstorms, blizzards, icicles, and the disappearance of the sun for months at a time.  For many, the idea of a winter means the temperature must drop some ridiculous amount and provide an opportunity to complain about the cold for much too long to be healthy. 

But, to many who are maka’ala (aware), the changes in our environment are vast and many-- and harken to the coming Ho’oilo season of wetter, colder months.  Right now we are in the latter part of the last month of the “dry” season of Kau, named ‘Ikuwa, a month which is known for its unstable atmosphere bringing thunder and lightning in the mountains.  It is also the month when we begin to see the harbingers of Lono, God of peace and agriculture, manifested in dark clouds, rain storms, sudden squalls, and thunder. 

Lono is the deity and the essential energy in power during the wet months of Ho’oilo, which typically lasts from early-to-mid November until late-April or early-May.  Yet, the Gregorian calendar reveals little about the forces at play in these months.  Neither does it help us understand what to expect in these months from the environment like the traditional calendars do. 

Welehu is the first of the Ho’oilo months, and marks the time when those who watch the sky begin to look for the rising of a constellation called Makali’i, known as Pleiades in the Western world, to mark the beginning of the Makahiki season. 

 

As I learned it, the first month of the wet season is also a very cold month.  It is a month when families draw closer together to seek warmth around the fire, hence the name Welehu, to sift the ashes of the fire.  It also speaks to the ancient kapu that during Makahiki no major work projects are to be done and time should be spent rejuvenating the body and the spirit and allowing the land to replenish itself.

What is the purpose of all this information?  The calendars teach us how to behave at certain times.  They are reminders to us of our kuleana and hints on how to make our lives easier.  As we transition into the wet months of Ho’oilo and the first of those months called Welehu we must ask ourselves questions.  Have I spent enough time with family? Have I extended my hospitality to others in need of warmth, food, and aloha?  Have I cleared some big projects out of the way so my body and spirit have time to rejuvenate?  The calendars ask us to look within ourselves to create the life we want surrounded by the people we love. 

The only question is, are you paying attention?