Matariki Dawn

When I arrived at the Wither Hills car park for my walk early this morning the lower tracks on the hill were festooned with a delicate necklace of lights all moving and dancing downhill. The entire population of Springlands School, along with parents, grandparents and teachers, was out trekking on the hill in the dark. They were there to celebrate Matariki...the Maori New Year. The cluster of stars known as the Pleiades Constellation is known to Maoridom as Matariki. During their trek a teacher told them of the importance of Matariki and they sang three “waiata” or songs in honour of this special traditional time.
Matariki (or the Pleiades constellation) was important for navigation and timing the seasons. The first rising of the Pleiades and of Rigel (Puanga in northern Māori, Puaka in southern Māori) occurs just prior to sunrise in late May or early June. The actual time for the celebration of Matariki varies, some iwi (tribe or clan) celebrate it immediately, while others wait until the rising of the next full moon, or the dawn of the next new moon.
In traditional times, Matariki was a season to celebrate and to prepare the ground for the coming year. Offerings of the produce of the land were made to the gods, including Rongo, god of cultivated food. This time of the year was also a good time to instruct young people in the lore of the land and the forest. In addition, certain birds and fish were especially easy to harvest at this time.
The children were down from the hill by the time I started out on my walk in order to capture the magic of a Matariki dawn.
Thank you so much to my Blipfoto friends who favourited my image of yesterday. I was pleasantly surprized when it hit the Spotlight...I am very grateful to you.
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