Memorial Day weekend kicked off and Girl Scouts Hawaii flooded Windward Mall to make lei for fallen veterans buried at the cemetery in Kaneohe.

Local Girl Scouts honored fallen members of the armed forces by crafting lei alongside community members during the Girl Scouts of Hawaii’s annual Lei of Aloha event.

With roots in Native Hawaiian culture, a lei is a series of strung-together objects — typically flowers, but also ribbons, candy, or even folded money — often given to honor someone.

The most ubiquitous lei — made of purple dendrobium orchids — is stocked by florists, the Los Angeles Flower Market and even Southland supermarkets.

Homemade leis are one way to express your pride for someone. Desiree Finau of Daly City, Calif., has made leis out of ribbons, flowers and candy. She’s even seen them made out of McDonalds ...

The flower lei most popular with royalty was made from ilima, a type of hibiscus. More than a thousand of the paper-thin blossoms are required for a lei, which is so delicate that it lasts less ...