Matariki is not only a group of stars it is also the name for the…Maori New Year
You can see the stars for most of the year but they disappear from the night sky in Aotearoa, New Zealand in late April and reappear in in late Winter May or early June . When the stars appear again and the new moon is risen it is the Maori New Year and there is much to celebrate.
The Seven Sisters
The Matariki group of stars has other names as matariki One of its names is the Seven Sisters. In some stories Matariki is the name of the biggest star . She is the eldest sister and she guides her younger sisters to their places in the sky . The old stories tell us that when the stars shine brightly the year will be warm . There will be crops of seafood and plants will grow tall and strong .
Celebrate
We can celebrate Matariki in many ways. It is a time for sharing family stories. It is a time for hearing stories of the old days for learning about how people used the stars in the past. It is a time to plant trees and winter crops It is a time to fish. This is a time for making things, to learn how to weave and carve. It is a time for making and flying kites . Matariki is a time to make plans for the future and to forgive and forget problems of the past . It's a time to enjoy being with our future and friends. 
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