When It’S Lei Day On Guam

Perhaps it’s because it is the last working day of the week, a causefor joy in itself, or perhaps because spirits need a lift after the bulk of the working week. Whatever the reason, the island of Guam recognises each Friday as “Island Day” when it is practically mandatory that the populace bedeck themselves in colourful attire in a celebration of sunshine and tropical Pacific pride.

Guam has long experienced a paradox in the relationship between clothing and the tempo of life. As the island was administered by the military for the first 52 years of its American history, civilian government and private sector workers adopted their own “uniform” of sorts a daily regimen of short-sleeve white shirts worn with dark ties.

This standard attire continued through the early 70s. The pace of life was slow then, even though the daily dress was rather “stiff. ”

During Guam’s economic “boom” of the early 70s the pace of life took several quantum leaps.

The sure sign of the American way of business life began to appear the ulcer.

Perhaps as a counter to that pace, to afford at least a little internal relaxation, the style of dress changed to a more casual fashion, imitating in many respects the relaxed informality of Hawaii.

As the tourist fow from Japan increased, it was felt that it hardly

befitted the image of a tropical island if the same drab clothing were worn on Guam that the tourists could see daily in Tokyo.

“Island Day" was instituted as an official break from the confines of the starched shirt, and floral printed shirts in loud and welcoming colours flourished.

Tom Brislin, in Guam, reports that while there may be some criticism for Guam adopting the Hawaii fashions rather than utilising its own native costumes, it should be remembered that the indigenous Chamorro attire was simplicity in itself total stark nudity!

He says that perhaps it was this memory that circumvented the establishment of another “new” tradition. One local proposed a resolution in the Guam legislature calling for the renaming of “Island Day” to “Lei Day”, when everyone would add garlands of flowers to their colourful attire.

The double-entendre caused so many snickers, however, that the project was dropped.

“Island Day” is slowly becoming every day on Guam lately. The Governor, Ricardo J. Bordallo, who has just completed two years of his four-year term, has been somewhat of a trendsetter for island styles. Governor Bordallo has spurned the white-shirt-and-tie approach to official attire and appears daily in bright, splashy shirts.

Agana, Guam's capital, boasts a lovely cathedral, the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cath edral (the Sweet Name of Mary). —Photo: OTC, Australia.