Happy Matariki!

Mānawatia a Matariki!

The holiday marks when the star cluster Matariki (aka the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters or Subaru) becomes visible in the early morning sky, which happens around the time of the winter solstice.

It only became a public holiday in NZ a few years ago. It's great we've finally got a holiday which celebrates a Māori tradition. Other than that, the only vaguely related one I can think of is Waitangi day, which marks the signing of Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) -- an agreement between Māori and the Crown. But because of how much white New Zealanders past and present have disregarded their obligations, it's maybe not as much of a cause for celebration as it could be.

Otherwise, we mostly celebrate northern hemisphere holidays, which doesn't make a lot of sense, since we experience seasons at the opposite time. We celebrate Christmas in summer when winter is so baked into every part of the traditions and imagery of that holdiay.

So here's to doing more to recognise what makes our country unique!

More info (since I'd never heard of Matariki before):
https://www.newzealand.com/ca/matariki/

Neat. Happy Matariki! :)

I have never been to NZ and alas probably never will but I love learning about other cultures. I stumbled onthe spinoff, which I find a delightful window into a part of that world. I've no idea how it is regarded locally, but I really enjoy visiting now and then. (which is how I learned about Matariki...have a happy one!)
(edited for formatting)