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Name and meaning. Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars known to Western astronomers as the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus. Matariki is a shortened version of Ngā mata o te ariki o Tāwhirimātea, "the eyes of the god Tāwhirimātea". [1]
Matariki is a special occasion in the New Zealand calendar which marks the start of the Māori New Year. Signified by the Matariki cluster of stars reappearing in our night sky, this is a time to reflect on the past year, celebrate the present, and plan for the year ahead. Māori proverb / Whakataukī.
What is Matariki? Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars also known as the Pleiades. It rises in midwinter and for many Māori, it heralds the start of a new year. Iwi across New Zealand understand and celebrate Matariki in different ways and at different times.
Matariki is the Māori name for the cluster of stars, that rises in midwinter and for many Māori, heralds the start of the new year. The return of the cluster is commemorated by Te Rā Aro ki Matariki 2024, which happens on Friday, June 28, this year.
Matariki marks the Māori New Year and is a significant event in the cultural calendar of New Zealand. It signifies the rising of the Matariki star cluster (also known as the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters) in the winter night sky, heralding a time of renewal and celebration for Māori people.
Matariki is the star cluster most commonly known across the world as Pleiades. This cluster is part of a larger constellation of stars called Taurus. It is one of the earliest recorded groups of stars in human history, with a record that dates back some 17,000 years.
Matariki is a star cluster, not a constellation. A cluster is a group of stars that are near each other. When seen from Earth, stars in a constellation appear to be close together in a pattern but they might actually be nowhere near each other. There are over 500 stars in the Matariki cluster.
Matariki, also known as the Seven Sisters, is a group of stars that appear in the night sky in New Zealand during the winter months. The Māori New Year begins with the rise of Matariki, which traditionally marks the end of one year and the beginning of another.
There are many legends about the star cluster Matariki. One of the most popular is that the star Matariki is the whaea (mother), surrounded by her six daughters, Tupu-ā-nuku, Tupu-ā-rangi, Waipunarangi, Waitī and Waitā, and Ururangi.
Matariki – the mother of the eight whetu in the constellation. The whetu Matariki was taken as a wife by Rehua (not considered part of the Matariki constellation – he is the great lord of the stars, the whetu Antares, which Māori believe is paramount chief of the heavens).
