About the Hawaiian Luau Lu'au weren't always called lu'au. Until
the mid-1800s small get-togethers were called pa'ina and large
banquets — the equivalent of today's lu'au — were referred to as
'aha'aina. These root words mean, among other things,
"gathering" ('aha) and "eating" ('aina). Local records show Much
has changed since the days of the ancient lu'au. Women and men
are allowed to eat together, which was forbidden in Hawai'i
before the Hawaiian culture's system of kapu (taboos) was
eliminated in 1819. Women are also allowed to eat foods that
were once denied them, such as bananas, coconuts, pork, turtle
and several types of fish. The lyrical hula dance — now referred
to as the ancient, or kahiko, style of hula — was once
accompanied with chants (mele) to honor the gods. Today it is
performed for entertainment and to remember the ways of old. A
more modern style, called 'auana, has become popular since the
1970s, when a renaissance of native Hawaiian culture began. Both
styles are performed at lu'au, and