Aloha!

This word that we immediately associate with Hawaii, that we think it means "hello", some even go further and say it also means "goodbye." And you'd be correct to think so. But Aloha is so much more than those two words.

Aloha also means love, peace, compassion.... but still, it's not enough to describe what it really means.

Aloha doesn't mean, Aloha IS.

Aloha is a lifestyle. Precisely a lifestyle based on love, acceptance and harmony with others and the land, good energy that we send to our loved ones, our Aloha Spirit or Mana. This is why Hawaiians say Aloha when you arrive to the islands. They are accepting you as a honorable guest and want you to feel welcomed and happy.

Natives who follow this way of living have the principles of kindness and compassion, comprenhension, sharing, protecting one another and the land, and in general, a very cheery attitude. ("Shaka! just go with the flow!" Was probably the first aspect of Aloha Spirit I learned with Lilo & Stitch as a kid--haha!)

This good energy connects the Kanaka, makes them one. They often refer to them as big Ohana (family). Because that's what they really are, a big family of people united by the same views and respect for all there is around them.

This is one of the reasons why I love this culture so much. They are genuinely kind and accepting, specially with the LGBT cummunity, since ancient times, they have the third gender, or Mahu. Those who embrace both the male and female traits that are within ourselves, they are valued and respected as caretakers and guardians of tradition.

The word Aloha itself is an acronym made with a sort of lifestyle code, a hidden message of good principles.

A - Ala, watchful, alertness
L - Lokahi, working with unity
O - Oia'i'o, truthful honesty
H - Ha'aha'a, humility
A - Ahonui, patient perseverance