Aloha Aloha Aloha (; ) is the Hawaiian word for love, affection, peace, compassion and mercy, that is commonly used as a simple greeting but has a deeper cultural and spiritual significance to native Hawaiians. A greeting of love and compassion; also means "to be in the presence of the divinity" or in the presence of ("alo") the "divine breath of life" ("Ha"). The Aloha Spirit law became official in 1986. The origins of the Hawaiian word "aloha" are unclear. The word goes back to the very origins of Hawaii to Kahiki (the homeland) and even further. The word is found
Thai greeting where Hinduism and Buddhism is or has been widely practiced. In Bali the greeting word spoken during the sembah is "om swastiastu", which is equivalent to "sawatdee" in Thai. Both originated from the Sanskrit "svasti". In Sanskrit "svasti" means "safe, happy, and prosperous", and "astu" means "hopefully". Thus "Om Swastiastu" means: "Oh God, I hope all goodness (safety, happiness, and prosperity) comes from all directions." In Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, similar greetings—called "nop" (ນົບ), "sampeah" (), "Mingalar Par" ( မဂၤလာပါ), respectively—are also in use. In Malaysia and Brunei, it was historically used to convey thanks or salutations to a patron