Ever wonder about that coconut pudding you've sampled at a lu'au? Or that nose flute that yields melodic notes at a Hawaiian show? Or those pine-and-bamboo arrangements that pop up at hotels, restaurants and Island homes this time of the year?

You can find answers to questions and learn more at the Coconut & Bamboo Festival, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Ward Center and Ward Warehouse. The event serves as an opportunity to educate yourself on how these plants are tapped for food, shelter and cultural expression.

Temari, the Center for Asian & Pacific Arts, will present a session intended to shed light on coconut as food and bamboo as a decorative New Year's favorite. The event also embraces music and dance, so bring along a camera.

"We've enlarged this festival as a way of showing how coconut and bamboo impact our lives," said Ann Asakura, executive director of Temari.

Temari used to be the source — and resource — of making and selling kadomatsu, the pine and bamboo symbol of good luck that residents place at their front door.

"Our supplier couldn't provide us the bamboo, so this is the second year we're not doing the kadomatsu," Asakura said. Thus, the coconut and bamboo event is an expanded spin-off of those earlier kadomatsu promotions.

"You can still buy kadomatsu from Costco, Longs and Times Supermarket," Asakura said. "The hotels keep calling us and ask us to make them (a large) kadomatsu."

So the festival will display a kadomatsu and explore ways in which coconut and bamboo embrace our lives.

Paper and fabric, for instance, are often incised with decorative bamboo stamps.

Coconut leaves can be woven into baskets.

Coconut is the dessert staple — haupia, or coconut pudding — at lu'au.

Coconut shells have emerged as bras for some hula dancers.

The festival will offer samples of haupia, share tales of coconut and bamboo, and enable visitors to mingle and hear tales of artisans while they demonstrate their coconut and bamboo crafts.

And you can learn about the role of kadomatsu.

"Essentially, kadomatsu means gate pine and serves as a toshigami (a guard for the gates)," Asakura said. When placed at the entrance of a home or a business, kadomatsu "attracts the gods and protects the household or business from any bad spirit or bad luck and takes wishes to heaven."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Make a difference. Donate to The Advertiser Christmas Fund.