What is matariki all about?
by Eliza
When I look up in the sky and see matariki I always have these questions floating in my head. What is matariki, when is Matariki,why is Matariki celebrated and how do we celebrate Matariki?
Matariki is the Maori New year. A time to spend with friends and family. It is also a huge star cluster called pleaseise.
Matariki is celebrated in midwinter, late may till early July. Matariki is celebrated on a different day each year to be with the lunar calendar.
Matariki is celebrated to keep the maori tradition alive. If not, we might have forgotten about it centuries ago.
Maori celebrate matariki by gathering with whanau and friends and sharing food.
These are some of the ways you can celebrate matariki. You could light fires and tell camp stories around the fire. You could go watch the fireworks in New Brighton. You can catch up with friends and family. You can pretend you're an astronomer and look for constellations in the sky, especially Matariki.
I think I might make some matariki cupcakes. I might camp outside and keep an eye out for matariki. I will go see the fireworks again next year.
The story of matariki is that the sky father and earth mother were separated by their kids and tawfitimatia was so angry he threw his eyes into the heavens so that is how matariki formed.
To me matariki is a time to spend with friends and family, a time to celebrate life,a time to remember loved ones, a time to appreciate friends.
