February
19
/ 2021
The Māori, or the indigenous Polynesian people of New Zealand, use a special word Matariki, which identifies the cluster of stars known to astronomers as the Pleiades, and to mythologists and folklorists as the Seven Sisters. Observed rising in mid-winter, the Pleiades heralded the Māori new year, which was a time of remembrance for those who had died during the previous year. Because crops had just been harvested, and seafood and birds had been collected, the storehouses were full and Matariki was also a time for singing, dancing, feasting and celebrating. Since the 2000s there has been a Matariki revival and in 2021 the celebrations were officially declared a public holiday. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"83310","attributes":{"alt":"The Māori creation myth incorporates the story of Rangi
