Matariki

Matariki
What is Matariki? Matariki is a small cluster of stars that appear in late June and July. Mata Riki means Tiny Eyes, and Mata Ariki means Eyes of God. The 9 stars are Matariki, Tupuārangi, Waipuna-ā-Rangi, Waitī, Tupuānuku, Ururangi, Waitā, Pōhutukawa and Hiwa-i-te-Rangi. This year (2019) Matariki starts in June 25th-3rd July. Māori follow the Māori lunar calendar, not the European calendar, so the dates for Matariki change every year. 

How do I find Matariki? If you find Orion’s belt, you will find Puanga. Look above the belt until you see a bright star. To the left of the pot, find the bright orange star, Taumata-kuku. Follow an imaginary line from Tautoru (the bottom three stars of the belt ), across to Taumata-kuku and keep going until you hit a cluster of stars.This cluster is Matariki. If you have good eyes you should be able to separate individual stars. If it looks fuzzy, look just above or just below and the stars will be clearer.

 Matariki is important because after the harvesting of traditional crops, such as kumara, pikopiko and karaka berries. That was when Maori would celebrate the harvest season. This celebration was at the same time as reappearance of Matariki. Matariki is celebrated  with a hangi, spending time with family and the haka. Cultural performances,


the sharing of myths and legends, astronomy workshops, hangi and feasts are all celebrated by communities. My family can celebrate by participating in hangi's.


I think we should have Matariki as a public holiday because it is a really celebrated and special time for Maori people. Also, it is part of our history and past. The last reason is because we celebrate the Queen’s birthday and Matariki is closer to NZ.