On November evenings in the northern hemisphere, turn your attention to the sky shortly after dusk. Due east, just above the horizon, you’ll see the Pleiades, a storied cluster of seven stars. The rising of the Pleiades at dusk is often associated with the arrival of winter. But in Hawaii, it signals more than just the changing seasons — it indicates the start of Makahiki, the most sacred of all Hawaiian festivals.
Makahiki’s origins and objectives are multifaceted. Aligning with the Hawaiian lunar calendar, Makahiki marked the start of the Hawaiian New Year. The months-long festival began when the Pleiades (makali’i to the Hawaiians) rose in November and lasted until about February. In old Hawaii, it was a time of rest, celebration and harvest. Farming and fishing abated to make time for sports, games, dancing, feasts and religious activities. War and matters of politics were forbidden. A Hawaiian tax season of sorts, chiefs collected offerings from maka’ainana (commoners). Most importantly, Makahiki honored Lono, the god of agriculture, fertility, rainfall, and peace. 
Hawaiians believed that during Makahiki, Lono would return to take the land as his wife, restoring the land’s fertility by bringing seasonal rains. Hawaiian tradition says that the first rain of the wet season indicates Lono’s arrival. Even today, the rising of the Pleiades aligns with the start of Hawaii’s rainy season.
Each island celebrated Makahiki differently, but it’s generally agreed that throughout Hawaii, Makahiki was a time for festivities, relaxation and spiritual cleansing. Most written records about Makahiki are from Hawai’i Island, where the season was announced by flying flags from the temples. On the first night of Makahiki on Hawaii Island, the people performed a purification ceremony called hi‘uwai. They dressed in their best clothing and went to the coast, where they would spend the night swimming and conversing. No work of any kind was permitted for four days after hi’uwai.
During Makahiki, chiefs and commoners alike directed prayers to the akua loa, a tall, wooden image of Lono hung with white kapa banners, feathers and ferns. A procession carried Lono around the island. At the border of each ahupua’a, gifts – like sweet potatoes, gourds and handicrafts – were collected. Chiefs kept some of the items for tax while the rest was redistributed to the maka’ainana.
War was forbidden during Makahiki season. Warriors kept their skills sharp by partaking in games and events like boxing, foot races, spear throwing and ulu maika, Hawaiian-style bowling. At the close of Makahiki, a chief participated in a mock battle to reassert his dominance over the land. A canoe filled with offerings to Lono was set adrift to return him to Kahiki, his ancestral land. And with that, Makahiki concluded. 
Just as Lono presided over the wet season, Ku, the god of war and politics, rules over kau wela, the dry summer season. Once again, man began to lay claim to the land and day-to-day activities resumed — from farming to politics to battles.
Makahiki began to fade in the 19th century as Westerners and missionaries arrived in the islands and attempted to banish Hawaiian traditions and culture. However, this time-honored festival rose to prominence again during the Hawaiian Renaissance in the 1970s. Today, various Makahiki celebrations take place throughout the islands, including reenactments of traditional ceremonies and games, ensuring Makahiki is preserved for future generations.
