FIRE! King Kamehameha II hosted a meal to eat with women and men together in 1819, the beginning of the luau as we know it today. Fire knife dancers are a Samoan tradition passed down from generation to generation. Wrapping towels onto the knifes to set on fire, twirling the fire, juggling the fire, performing acrobatic stunts and moves with the fire to impress the luau audience against the sounds of drum beats. May is Asian American & Pacific Islander month.