June 24, 2019
Change of moon phase puts Matariki in sight
A Māori astronomer says the stars and the moon will align tomorrow for the best time to start celebrating Matariki.
Rangi Mataamua is pleased to see the way the midwinter celebration is becoming more a part of the national consciousness and identity, with councils, schools and other groups using it as a chance to promote things Māori.
It's a chance to remember those who have died since the last rising of the star cluster above the horizon, to celebrate the present through food and caring for the environment, and to plan for the future.
It's all coming into alignment tomorrow, as the moon moves into its fourth quarter.
"That for me is a time where you start your Matariki celebration and they end on July 3 when it is Mutuwhenua and you don't want to be celebrating on the day after which is Whiro which is the god of death and disease and plague and it's probably not a good time to be celebrating anything," Mr Mataamua says.
Copyright © 2019, UMA Broadcasting Ltd: www.waateanews.com