16 Wairarapa Midweek Wednesday, July 5, 2023
FEATURE SUPPLEMENT
The meaning of Matariki We now have a statutory holiday each year in celebration of Matariki. This year, it falls on Friday 14 July. The day and what it stands for, however, are more meaningful than having paid time off work. The word Matariki is an abbreviation of ngā mata o te ariki Tāwhirimātea (the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea) and refers to the cluster of starts known in some European traditions as the Pleiades. The Pleiades cluster took its name from pleiad, the ancient Greek word for sail, because its appearance in the morning northern sky heralded the beginning of sailing season. The Pleaides cluster is made up of the ancient Greek god Atlas, his wife Pleione, and their seven daughters: Alcyone, Maia, Electra, Taygeta, Merope, Asterope and Celaeno. Almost every culture you can think of has a name and a story about this cluster of stars. Māori legend has it that Tāwhirimātea (the god of the wind) was so angry when his siblings separated their parents, Ranginui the sky father and Papatūānuku the earth mother, that he tore out his own eyes and threw them into the heavens, forming the Matariki cluster. Traditionally, Matariki has been a time to remember those who have passed away,
to celebrate the present, and look to the future. The first sightings of Matariki were traditionally greeted with expressions of grief for those who had died since its last appearance. Once the time of grief was over, the emphasis of Matariki shifted to celebration. Because Matariki took place at the end of harvesting, there was an abundant supply of food for feasting. People rejoiced, sang, and danced to celebrate the change of season and the potential for new beginnings. Matariki has conventionally also been a time for planning for the year ahead. If the stars were clear and bright, it signalled a favourable and productive season ahead, and so planting would begin in September. If the stars appeared hazy and closely bunched together, a cold winter was in store and so planting was put off until October. Today, many Māori and pakeha consider Matariki to be a time to reflect on the past, to feast and spend time with friends and whānau (family) in the present, and to think about the future while celebrating the Māori New Year (te Mātahi au te Tau).
TRAIN RIDES GOLD COIN