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Taatai Arorangi: Matariki and the New Year. Taatai Arorangi: Matariki and the New Year. Traditionally Māori, and many other cultures, used the night sky and the stars to tell the time and seasons. They also used them as they navigated the oceans.
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Taatai Arorangi: Matariki and the New Year Traditionally Māori, and many other cultures, used the night sky and the stars to tell the time and seasons. They also used them as they navigated the oceans. The tohungakōkōrangi would watch for the rise of Matariki just before dawn.
Matariki and the New Year Stories and legends were ways of passing knowledge from generation to generation. Even if the cause was not understood the story explained observed events. There may be many versions of a similar story. Here some stories about Matariki.
It is universal toMāori and Pakeha, because we all live with the opposite seasons to the northern hemisphere. Matariki could be added to our celebrations calendar. It provides us with something that's unique. The rising of Matariki or Puanga signaled the Māori New Year and a time for connecting, giving thanks to the land, sea and sky and a time for the community to come together to farewell those departed and acknowledge the year gone. Matariki was also a time to turn to the future, welcoming the new generation to the world and planning for the year ahead.
Crop planting during Matariki The crops were planted according to the appearance of the Matariki star cluster. If the stars were clear and bright, it was a sign of a favourable and productive season ahead, and planting would begin in September. If the stars appeared hazy and closely bunched together, a cold winter was in store and planting was put off until October.
Celebrating Matariki In other areas the cosmic rising of Rigel/ Puanga marked the beginning of the new year with a similar festival marking the event. Matariki were honoured by the Māori. The heliacal rising of that asterism was greeted by women with song and dance.
The heliacal rising of the stars New star patterns become visible as we travel around the Sun. Matariki is in Taurus.
Heliacal risings occur after a star has been behind the Sun for a time and it is just returning to visibility. One morning, just before dawn, the star rises after its absence behind the Sun and is seen for a moment, then lost in the rising Sun’s glare. That one special morning is called the star's heliacalrising.
The rising position of the Sun Looking west this shows the Sun setting - from mid-winter through the equinox to mid-summer (Northern Hemisphere view).What dates are these?
The Pleiades/Matariki star cluster facts A cluster of around 1000 stars that are about 440 light years away (our Sun is 8 light minutes away) The blue color is caused by blue light being scattered by dust. The stars in the Pleiades are young- 100 million years old - about 1/50th the age of our Sun. • Merope, one of the brightest stars in the Pleiades- where the nebulosity is caused by a chance encounter between an open star cluster and a molecular cloud.
Circumpolar stars will NOT work! Not all stars have heliacal risings because some stars are always above the horizon and are called circumpolar stars. Only certain stars rise, flash and twinkle in the pre-dawn glow.
El Niño or La Niña- watch out! Clear, bright stars means a good season. Hazy and bunched together means a cold winter, and planting’s delayed. The upper atmosphere may indicate long term weather conditions. Astute, practiced observers can see the difference from year to year. Can you?
