Thanks to legislation, Hawaii has officially been known as the “Aloha State” since 1959. Heck, the Hawaii Statutes have even got an entire section on the “Aloha Spirit”! If you’re on vacation in Hawaii, you’ll often hear it used as a greeting, but you’ll soon discover that here in Hawaii, Aloha is a lifestyle.
To live the spirit of Aloha means to express love, compassion, respect and kindness in all you do, and to everyone you encounter. This isn’t just reserved for interactions between people – true Aloha spirit extends to nature, wildlife and all that surrounds us.
Most of you have probably heard of casual Friday, but did you know that it got its start right here in Hawaii? That’s right, what’s known as casual Friday is a by-product of what was started in our beautiful state back in 1965.
In the early 60’s a group of garment manufacturers were pushing the very conservative business leaders in Hawaii to embrace the Aloha shirt as appropriate business wear in a campaign known as “Operation Liberation”. Wearing the shirts that Hawaii is now so famous for became commonplace throughout the summer months and in 1965, a new campaign for the shirts was started. “Aloha Friday” called for business men to wear aloha shirts every Friday and once the practice became commonplace for the last day of each week, it didn’t take long at all for them to become accepted attire. By the 70’s, men and women working at businesses throughout the state could be found wearing the famous floral print shirts / dresses on any given day of the week. To this day, most businesses recognize Aloha Friday and allow their employees to dress casually.
Aloha Friday is now a celebration of sorts in Hawaii. It marks the end of the work week, and the start of weekend. Our radio stations play “Aloha Friday” by Kimo Kahoano and there are often Aloha Friday specials at local restaurants and bars.
If you are fortunate enough to work for a business that endorses casual Friday, you can say a big Mahalo (thank-you) to Hawaii because this is where it all started folks! We wish you all a Happy Aloha Friday, and leave you with a link to Hawaii’s Aloha Friday anthem! Enjoy!
