Lei is a Hawaiian word for a garland or wreath or any series of objects strung together with the intent to be worn. In a lifestyle that fused ritual and nature with every aspect of daily life, lei were an ornament worn during any type of work activity, celebration, or rite by commoners and chiefs alike.

The lei is created by someone and given to another with the intent to decorate that person for an emotional reason such as greeting, farewell, affection or love, friendship, appreciation, congratulation, or recognition. The lei is commonly given on holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations and funerals. Even without an occasion, lei can be worn to celebrate life and nature or to enjoy the color, fragrance and beauty of flowers and greenery. The lei celebrates and safeguards our physical and spiritual natures, removes sickness and guilt, and cheers the soul.

The lasting quality of a lei material is its least important aspect while the scent, visual beauty or healing properties are highly valued. The most common lei is made from fresh natural foliage such as flowers, vines or fern fronds. Among the flowers used are the plumeria, lehua blossom, hala (pandanus), or the orchid. The maile and ti leaves are popular and traditional among hula dancers. Other types of lei may include shells, nuts, feathers, fabric and paper (including origami and monetary bills). The seven most common methods of making lei are:

1. Haku is made using three strands of a base material such as softened tree bark or long leaves and braiding it while adding other decorative material into each wrap of the braid.
2. Hili is a braid using only one kind of material commonly three strands of a supple vine or fern plaited together.
3. Hilo is made by twisting or intertwining two strands together to form a rope. The ti leaf lei is made using this method.
4. Hipu'u/nipu'u is a method of making a lei by knotting the stems of decorative plant material and stringing the next stem through the knot.  It requires plants with very long stems and is similar to a daisy chain.
5. Humu is a method of making a lei by sewing the decorative material to a backing with each successive rows of lei material overlapped on the previous to create a scale like effect.  Feather and bougainvillea lei are often made with this method.
6. Kui uses a piercing stitch where the decorative material is pierced with a needle and then string onto a thread.  This is the most common style and is used to string flowers such as roses, carnations and frangipani. 
7. Wili is a corkscrew type twist which is similar to the seed pod of the wili wile tree.  Basically the lei is made by winding fiber around successive short lengths of decorative material.

In modern times a lei is usually given with a kiss but traditionalists give a lei by bowing slightly and raising it above the heart, allowing the recipient to take it since raising the hands above another's head or touching the face or head is considered disrespectful.  The lei should never be thrown away casually or tossed into the trash.  They should be returned to the place they were gathered or returned to the earth by hanging in a tree, burying or burning.  A lei represents love and to throw one away represents throwing away the love of the giver.