I really like that! Not a tradition in NY but this brings back a memory for me. My third grade teacher had a fellow teaching friend in Hawaii. We had a luau and invited the moms. We made leis out of crepe paper to present to our moms

Getting back to your question. Although it is not a tradition here, what HS senior wouldn't want a lei made out money? You will be the hit of the block!

I didn’t know it was common in California. A friend of mine in Hawaii makes them for the graduates in her life. I think it’s a fun idea no matter the location.

sushipup - what a clever idea and certainly more interesting than a check in anenvelope. I've lived in the Philly area for 45 years (Bucks County, PA and Burlington County, NJ) and have never heard of a money lei.

I think it's clever -- definitely not a tradition in the midwest.

I've not heard of it, but a fun idea

You can google it and get all sorts of how-to videos and instructions. I love the flower leis as well, but I'll do the money one with bills spaced with paper flowers in the school's colors.

I had not heard of a lei being a tradition in other than Hawaii but a money lei sounds like a fun and unique way to celebrate.

At the University if Alabama leis have become very popular, both for graduation and for wearing in honor of the excellent football quarterback from Hawaii, Tua Taigavaloa. DH and I have a several kukui leis given to me while working and on vacation there so we wear them frequently. Roll Tide!

I saw a student get showered with multiple leis right after graduation last year. It's not a local tradition. I don't think you would be wrong to do it. The graduate would probably enjoy it.

You just might start a new tradition in PA. I'm sure he will love it......who wouldn't!!!!

We've always done this, or I should say my wife has. Our kids each went to college and grad schools at different places outside of California and we brought the family tradition to them, usually using carnations and dental floss. In cases where there were small physical symbols available for the programs they were graduating from, those were also attached to the leis. As a random example that doesn't apply, a kid completing a degree in architecture would have had little houses (the size of the flowers) as well as flowers on the lei. This was always a hit with classmates and other parents.

Edit to add - but no money in the lei.

Not knowing this tradition, do students wear them during graduation while in their cups and gowns? I’m wondering if they would be allowed here for high school grads.

It's common in Hawaii to see people with flower lei stacked up to their ears on special occasions. (BTW, it's one lei, two lei, three lei, etc. Or, it can be "na lei" for 'all the lei'.) Why not help spread this lovely custom, sushipup?

I have seen a few floral leis at our California graduations, but not many.

Like Sheilajoyce I have seen it done occasionally but wouldn't call it a California tradition. I imagine it came over because of our diverse population but it's not a California thing.

Nope, never heard of that. Often the family will give the girl grads a bouquet of flowers, but real flowers!

Not a California thing per se, but Monterey County has a good-sized Pacific Islander population, so I guess it came from there. Just google money lei and see how cute they are. And yes, they wear them for the ceremony.

"Monterey County has a good-sized Pacific Islander population, so I guess it came from there."

There are large populations of people of this origin in the SF Bay area and also in SoCal, bound to be larger than the one in the Monterey area. That may have been where you saw the practice but it's probably unlikely that was the origin.

I really don't care where it started, but it gained a strong following in the Monterey area. I imagine it was more popular in the PI population before it hit the general usage. I didn't mean to imply that the whole thing started in MC. The first people I know who did it were from Samoa and the Philippines.

In PA, a pearl of coal may be more appropriate. :)

I'm in the Bay Area, and it's very popular here for high school and college graduations. They have vendors outside selling leis. Our local Costco and Safeway stores have leis in stock during graduation months. I have two who graduated from Pacific Northwest colleges, and one back east; we brought leis to their college graduations also; there were plenty of kids adorned with leis, so I think this tradition is pretty widespread.

Apparently it is around here. I didn't know that till I went to the dollar tree store today. They have tons of graduation stuff including huge Racks of all kinds of Leis. Some very pretty colorful ones. Good selection of graduation cards.

The ones I've seen were made with fresh flowers, not plastic.

They were silk.

Sorry, wrong word. I've seen and we've used only fresh flowers, not artificial ones. Part of the attractiveness of a lei of fresh flowers is the fragrance.

Unfortunately fresh flowers can be the most common allergy trigger.

I love the idea. i have a year to practice my technique as my eldest grandchild will be a 2020 high school graduate.

Sushipup, did you take a pic? Would love to see it.

No pix. I don't do cameras. But there are many pix online if you google images of graduation money leis.

Flower, dollar, candy, chip bag...you name it, if it can be strung or tied together somehow...it becomes a lei. My DD graduates high school this evening. I ordered her a plain white double strung orchid lei and added a ribbon bow in her school colors. Very much a tradition here and YES, the pacific islanders, they will be stacked...seriously, some of them will be stacked almost covering their heads!!

I work at a community college, with graduations twice a year and have seen it several times! Anyone see decorated caps? Most of the nursing grads do this!