Matariki Cat~ NZ has its second Matariki public holiday on Friday

On 14 July 2023, Aotearoa New Zealand will celebrate Matariki, our newest official public holiday. Read on to learn more about Matariki, and how it became an official public holiday. See:

https://www.parliament.nz/en/get-involved/features/celebrating-matariki-as-a-public-holiday/

It is Jenny’s birthday today. Jenny has just finished a paint by numbers. I call it the Matariki Cat:

Mānawa maiea te putanga o Matariki
Mānawa maiea te ariki o te rangi
Mānawa maiea te mātahi o te tau

Welcome the rising of Matariki
Welcome the rising of the lord of the sky
Welcome the New Year

What is Matariki?
Matariki is the name of a star cluster in the constellation of Taurus, commonly also known as Pleiades, which rises on the horizon towards the end of May each year and heralds Te Mātahi o te Tau, the Māori New Year. The arrival of Matariki signals that it is time for people to gather, honour the dead, celebrate the present, and make plans for the future.

The word “Matariki” is an abbreviation of “Ngā mata o te ariki o Tāwhirimātea”, or “the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea”. Matariki was taken as a wife by Rehua (Antares) and she gave birth to eight children, each star having a unique purpose and defined role in ao Māori.

• Matariki (Alcyone): signifies reflection, hope, our connection to the environment, and the gathering of people. Matariki is also connected to the health and wellbeing of people.
• Pōhutukawa (Sterope/Asterope): connected to those who have passed on, especially those who have passed since the last rising of Matariki.
• Tupuānuku (Pleione): connected with everything that grows within the soil to be harvested or gathered for food.
• Tupuārangi (Atlas): connected with food from the sky or up in the trees – birds, fruits and berries.
• Waitī (Maia): connected to fresh water ecosystems.
• Waitā (Taygeta): associated with the ocean and the food sources within it.
• Waipunarangi (Electra): connected with the rain.
• Ururangi (Merope): connected with the winds.
• Hiwa-i-te-rangi (Celaeno): connected with granting our wishes and realising our aspirations for the coming year.
• The Matariki constellation is significant to many other cultures worldwide. It is mentioned in the Koran, the Talmud, and the Bible, and is even featured in the 17,000 year old cave paintings in the Lascaux caves in France.

Also see my older posts:

Bonus Green Bottle 2. First NZ Matariki public holiday on 24 June! Perhaps visit Peter the Dinosaur? Today’s prompts: GREEN & STRONG & OPEN

COVID Odyssey: Matariki, Maori New Year ~ New Dawning

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