Fireworks. Hot dogs. Bands marching down Main Street. These are the pictures that come to many people’s minds when they think of U.S. holidays. But the United States is a vast country made up of people frommany different cultures, and the celebration of holidays reflects thisdiversity. In the Chinatown section of San Francisco, rice and snow peas are apart of many holiday meals. In New Mexico, one might encounter chilipeppers, piñatas,and Mexican music on the Fourth of July. In Hawaii,one popular way to celebrate a holiday is with a feast, or luau,whichhas been a Hawaiian tradition for centuries. Hawaii is the only state in the United States that was once an independent country with its own language and culture. Today, manyHawaiians continue to celebrate traditional Hawaiian holidays, such asPrince Kuhio Day, Kamehameha Day, and Aloha Week. In celebrationof their Hawaiian ancestry, Islanders might dress in traditional clothessuch as loose dresses called muumuusor colorful shirts. Around theirnecks they might wear leis,or rings of flowers. Even when it comes to celebrating a traditional American holidaysuch as Thanksgiving, Hawaiians give it their own special flavor. Theymight place pumpkins on doorsteps and pastecardboard pilgrims onwindows, but chances are there will also be a turkey or a pig roastingunder the ground in an earth oven, or imu. Cooking in an imuis an ancient Islands custom that requires muchwork and cooperation among family members. Preparations beginseveral days before Thanksgiving, when the family goes down to thebeach or to the mouth of a stream to fill sacks with smooth, roundedlava stones. They choose the stones carefully for their shape and sizeand for the presence of holes that will prevent the rocks from explodingwhen they are heated. To prepare the imu,the men first dig a large hole in the shape of abowl about three feet wide and two feet deep. They then linethebottom and sides of the hole with the lava rocks. Firewood is cut andpiled up,ready for the holiday morning when a fire is lit inside the