At Springlands Kindergarten we spent the term learning about ngā whetū o Matariki.
We learnt about how tupuna Māori o Aotearoa followed a luna calandar to track the passing of the year, understanding why the Māori new year Matariki is celebrated mid year. Matariki is a time to come together as whānau, remember loved ones that have passed away and to prepare for the year ahead. When ngā whetū o Matariki rose we can look to them for guidance of what to expect in the year to come. Each star represents how successful the crops, hunting and gathering and weather will be in the coming year. If certain whetū shines bright this mean that the weather or bounty will be good, if the whetū is dull this may mean less success.
Nga tamariki learnt the ingoa of each whetū and what they represented, at the end of term ngā tamariki chose to celebrate with hākari me pekerangi (shared kai and a disco) with whānau and friends.
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