Bamboo Harvesting

So I was talking to my dad about figuring out some decoration for the reception when I was in California. He mentioned to me that he had a ton of bamboo growing on the lot. He said that he could probably cut it up and make something with it for me. So I was able to visit this bamboo grove to see what he was talking about. It was actually quite a hike to get there. This is undeveloped land so we're talking about a Hawaiian rainforest (no trails) and on top of a mountain (the Ko'olau range). I had to wear long sleeves (there's tons of mosquitos), long pants, and heavy duty hiking shoes. We hiked about a half an hour lugging a chainsaw (I didn't have to carry the chainsaw), and I found out what my dad was talking about. There's this small grove of giant bamboos in the middle of the forest. The stalks thicker were than my arms and they grow about 20-30 ft high at least. It was incredible. I didn't know what harvesting this bamboo would entail, but it was still an amazing experience. We cut 2 stalks and into smaller manageable pieces, slide them down the mountain, and then we brought them home to cut into smaller pieces. I think I must have burned a 1000 calories that day. It was actually a lot of fun, and I got to spend some time with my dad. He talked to me about spirits in the mountains and because this was their home we should always acknowledge that they are there. There's lots of Hawaiian myths and burial grounds in this area, and Hawaiian lore and stories of bad luck pop up when they have been disturbed. It was really interesting. He also shared with me life in the Philippines, and how they used to plant tons of bamboo to prevent waters from flooding their homes. They harvested it for everything from building houses to bamboo shoots for food. There was a certain way and time to cut it. I really didn't know bamboo was so much of our culture, and after all this, I am really grateful that we were able to integrate this element in the wedding.

Here are some photos:

I didn't have a camera on me when we cut the bamboo in the rainforest, but here's a photo of us cutting the bamboo at home in smaller pieces.


Basically, how we will use these is to place them in random (yet good luck numbers) groupings on the table. Some will have candles in them, some will have nothing, some will have a flower bud inside or on the outside. We'll add some ribbon and such for accents. At least that is the plan...


These are photos from the lot:

Nothing but foliage


The view from the "base" of the lot