Remember to play tropical music while throwing your luau.
Although the Hawaiian luau is an ancient tradition, the modern luau began in 1819 when King Kamehameha abolished the tradition of women and commoners being forbidden to eat certain foods. At that time, women and men were also forbidden to eat together. The king threw a large celebration at which he sat down with women and commoners, and they shared a variety of delicacies, among them the "Lu'au," a popular dish made with chicken, young taro leaves and coconut milk. Today, luaus are synonymous with abundant food and a festive atmosphere. When decorating for your luau, keep the table decorations festive and authentic. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Cover your table with a tablecloth and ensure it is evenly distributed.
2. Unfold grass skirts and attach them along the sides of the table, inconspicuously pinning the skirt in place with safety pins every 12 inches. Ensure you also pin the ties along with the waist so the ties don't hang loosely.
3. Arrange banana or Ti leaves as a center table runner, overlapping them.
4. Add place settings if you are serving food, or place serving dishes on the table.
5. Place the votive holders and candles along the runner and around any serving dishes. Alternatively, you can use tabletop tiki torches if you are serving food outside. Ensure you place torches where guests are able to see each other across a table.
6. Add flowers to the table runner, interspersing them among the candles.
7. Place a flower lei across each lady's plate and a shell lei across each man's plate.
Tags: across each, serving dishes, serving food, table runner, women commoners