Grass skirts are among the most popular types of luau attire.
In 1819, the first luau was held as a celebration of the ruling of King Kamehameha II, which abolished the practice of preventing men and women from eating meals amongst each other. In addition to this, the ruling allowed women and commoners to consume the delicacies that had previously been reserved for only high-ranking, male individuals. At the first luau and every celebration thereafter, men and women of all rankings ate amongst one another. Although there is generally little known about the garments originally worn during these celebrations, those attending modern luaus often wear long skirts made of grass or similar fibrous materials.
Instructions
1. Measure around your waist with the measuring tape, and write the measurement down for reference. Measure the length between your knees and your waist, and write this number down as well.
2. Gather 3 pieces of raffia that are at least 4 inches longer than your waist measurement. Hold the raffia pieces together, making sure the ends are lined up together. These gathered sections will serve as the waistband of your luau skirt. Tie a knot at each end of the waistband, uniting the strands together.
3. Cut a piece of raffia, about 1 inch longer than your waist-to-knee measurement written down in Step 1. Insert the raffia through one of the slits of the waistband. Pull the piece of raffia through, until only about 3 inches remain.
4. Fold the raffia piece over one of the strands that makes up the waistband, and tie it into a knot onto itself. This knot will prevent the piece from falling away from the waistband of the skirt. Slide the knotted piece of raffia to one of the knotted ends of the waistband.
5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 until your skirt has reached your desired level of fullness. The more strands of raffia that you add, the fuller the skirt will be. You can choose to only tie the raffia pieces to only one of the waistband strands, or you can vary the look by tying the pieces to alternating strands of the waistband.
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