Matariki is the Maori name for the seven stars also known as the Seven Sisters. Matariki is a short way of saying Ngā mata o te ariki o Tāwhirimātea, or 'the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea', Matariki is sometimes called 'little eyes'. Matariki is the start of a new for Maori tradition. However it is also a celebration that- crops have been harvested, seafood and birds have been collected.
The legend of Tawhirimatea and the separation of his gods.
Long ago in the misty dark times there was two gods that loved each other
so much, their names were Ranginui- Father of sky and Papatuanuku- Mother of earth.
What they did not realise was that their 12 sons were stuck in between the both of them.
One day Tane-nui-a-Rangi was so murderously anxious at his parents so he irritatedly. Separated
His parents. Tawhirimatea- E te Atua hau- God of wind downheartedly started to cry.
Tawhirimatea- E te Atua hau- God of wind angrily threw his tears into the heavens above.
However his tears turned into stars. 7 of the stars became sisters and sat on the shoulders of a bull.( 6 of them
Were sister the most gleaming one Matariki is said to be the mother.
When is Matariki?
Matariki rises in mid-winter and for many Māori, it is the start of a new year.
In Aotearoa New Zealand it comes into view low on the north-eastern horizon.
It appears in the tail o
f the Milky Way in the last days of
May or in early June, just before dawn. According to the Maramataka
(the Māori lunar calendar),
the reappearance of Matariki,
brings the old lunar year to a close and marks the beginning of the new year.\
Glossary
Papatuanuku- Mother of the Earth
Ranginui- Father of the sky
Tawhirimatea- God of wind
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