Aotearoa (New Zealand) is in celebration mode with the arrival of Matariki, a significant time in the New Zealand cultural calendar marking the beginning of Māori New Year. Each year the Matariki cluster of stars – known to astronomers as Pleiades or the Seven Sisters – rises in New Zealand skies. Believed to have formed more than 100 million years ago the cluster plays a pivotal role in modern and ancient Māori mythology. The Matariki celebration is essentially based around 3 major principles: Remembrance: Honouring those we have lost since the last rising of Matariki Celebrating the present: Gathering together Read more
