Aloha Festivals Aloha Festivals The Aloha Festivals are an annual series of free cultural celebrations observed in the state of Hawaii in the United States. It is the only statewide cultural festival in the nation. Highlights include the presentation of the Royal Court, a ho'olaule'a in Waikiki, and the Floral Parade. Approximately 30,000 people volunteer to plan, organize, and provide labor for the Aloha Festivals each year. Their efforts entertain over 1,000,000 people from throughout the state and visitors from all over the world. In the spirit of preserving the Hawaiian culture and heritage, the Aloha Festivals were established in 1946 as
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