There are lots of ways you can celebrate Matariki with your family, and in doing so, start your own family traditions. Some ideas to get you started include:
1. A Family Feast
Make Matariki a time when the whole family gets together to feast and give thanks. It may be a nice opportunity to explore traditional Maori food like hangi and rewena, or Maori bread. Create star-shaped sugar cookies will go down well for desert.
2. A New Harvest
Use Matariki as a time to clear the winter vegetables, and prepare your vegetable garden for the new planting. It could become a family tradition to do the gardening altogether – at least for one day of the year.
3. Tree Planting
Contact your local Department of Conservation to find out if there are any regeneration projects happening in your area. Organise to plant a tree on Matariki, or better still, get together with a group of friends and plant several.
4. Sleep Under the Stars
Spend a night sleeping under the stars (or under a tent!), and tell your own family stories. You may want to talk about family memories, or create goals for the coming lunar year.
5. New Years Resolutions
Most of us create New Years Resolutions in January, but by the time June rolls around they are long forgotten. Why not use Matariki as a time to renew your resolutions.
6. Attend a Matariki Event
Matariki events are held right throughout the country, and new comers are usually welcomed as people are eager to share their culture. Google 'Matariki events near me' to explore what events are happening in your area.
Matariki is a good opportunity for Maori to share their stories and culture with the wider community, and many events and activities are planned throughout the country to share and celebrate Matariki. Some common events and activities include:
Concerts and cultural performances
Art exhibitions
Art and Craft Workshops
The sharing of myths and legends
Astronomy Workshops
Hangi and Feasts
Dawn Ceremonies
Family Days
Tree Planting in Conservation Areas
Whakapapa (Genealogy) Workshops
Cooking Demonstrations
You might also be interested in this collection of New Zealand television content focused around Matariki.
The star cluster Matariki appears in our skies in the month of Pipiri (June-July), marking the start of the Māori New Year. This is the coldest time of the year and Pipiri means ‘to draw close’.
It’s a time to come together with your friends, whānau, and communities. It’s about eating, reflecting, having fun, and looking forward to the year ahead.
Traditionally, Matariki is a time to share kai from the pātaka, the storehouse, harvested from past seasons. It’s too cold for planting, so it’s a time to relax, eat, and enjoy good company.
Holding a candle at a Matariki ritual, 2017. Te Papa
Matariki is a time for reflection. Light a candle to remember loved ones who have passed away, or to farewell unwanted memories.
What do you want to achieve? What do you want to see? Record thoughts like these and return to them later – how did you do?
Tui, 2012. Photograph by Sid Mosdell, via Flickr. CC-BY Gen 2.0
Look up at the stars (can you see Matariki?). Go for a walk in your neighbourhood and get to know its streams, rivers, and trees. Listen to the birds.
Matariki is about having fun with your loved ones. Learn to play mū tōrere, a Māori board game. Or make up a story to tell your whānau.
Come together with your community for a Matariki ritual that uses all the ideas above: Fire and warmth, food, reflection, hopes and dreams, stories, nature, and games.