Matariki and our wellbeing
The Māori New Year is a time to reflect, celebrate, and make time for deep nourishment, writes Jase Te Patu.
By Jase Te Patu, award-winning yoga and mindfulness teacher and CEO and Founder of M3 Mindfulness
Mānawa mai e te putanga o Matariki
Mānawa mai e te ariki o te rangi
Mānawa mai e te Mātahi o te tau
Hail the rise of Matariki
Hail the lord of the sky
Hail the New Year
On the 14th of July, the whole of Aotearoa will celebrate Matariki with a holiday. For Māori, Matariki, meaning the 'eyes of the Atua' or Māori god Tāwhirimatea, has a much deeper meaning.
Maramataka: Phases of the moon
In Te Ao Māori, we are guided by the phases and stages of the moon. This system is called Maramataka. Marama is the 'moon', and Taka is 'to rotate'.
Maramataka let our tupuna or ancestors know when the best time was to do activities like fishing, hunting, planting, and harvesting food. It informed them of the best days to hold hui and high or low energy days for these tasks.
Maramataka also encouraged a deeper connection to nature, the waterways, the land below, and the sky above.
The Pleiades star cluster
Our Maramataka system runs off the lunar cycle rather than the solar system of the Gregorian Calendar, so our year is 354 days in length rather than the mainstream 365.
The Pleiades is a cluster of nine stars that Māori refer to as Matariki.
Once a year, they come closer to the earth, where each star has a role in caring for Papātūanuku or Mother Earth. It's a time for us to reflect and honour what happened in the previous year, including honouring those who have left us.
Reflect, connect, celebrate
Matariki is a time to hunker down in winter and reflect. It's a time to nourish and nurture ourselves with beautiful wellbeing practices and prepare for the future. Our ancestors used this time also to plant vegetables that would be ready for harvesting in spring and summer.
Mostly, Matariki is a time to celebrate. It's our Māori New Year!
Matariki and self-care
So, based on this knowledge, how can we all use this time to take better care of ourselves?
For me, winter is a time of deep nourishment. My staple practices are long periods of sleep, short naps, healthy kai like vegetable soups, hot baths, deep meditations, reflective journalling, warm drinks, and karakia.
We can also tend to our wellbeing whilst celebrating Matariki this year, with activities such as:
Reflecting on the grows and glows of the past year
Lighting a candle in honour of those who have passed
Writing down our hopes and dreams, and aspirations for the year ahead
Putting a jacket on and looking for the Matariki stars in the early morning sky and
Preparing a mid-winter feast with friends and whānau
Winter needn't be a time for us to neglect our wellbeing. In fact, it can be a time to nourish and nurture ourselves more deeply. My hope is that we all use this time and holiday of Matariki to honour the past and, in this present time, prepare for a bright, abundant future!
Mānawatia a Matariki!
For more information about Matariki, visit https://www.matariki.net.nz/
