Matariki with Hannah Mareroa
This Matariki we're making space to come together and break bread with our A&C family, using the long weekend as time for rememberance, celebrating the present and looking to the future.
After chatting to our BLOC Store Manager Hannah Mareroa about her Matariki traditions, we were inspired to celebrate this as a team together.
What does Matariki mean to you?
It’s a time to reflect on the year that’s gone and plan for your future. I always find this time to be when I do my best reflection about where I am and where I want to go in the near future.
It’s roughly halfway through the Gregorian calendar year so it’s a nice way to split thought patterns and reflect on those six months that have passed. If you set New Years resolutions it’s a good time to see Matariki as your chance to reflect on this and see if you are on track to reaching those goals, need to realign yourself with them or want to change them altogether.
I lean more on the reflection and remembrance side rather than the wishing and planning for the future side. I like to reflect on the year that has just been and really feel all of the emotions. It’s cathartic to feel everything in it’s pure state and allow yourself to process everything that has happened in your life, to open yourself up to what is to come.
Tell us a bit about how you celebrated Matariki when you were younger
It was often just with my whanau at home, my parents didn’t often celebrate it to the extent that our wider whanau did. We would just have a nice meal together and spend time with one another and quietly reflect on our year that’s passed and spend it with the people we loved.
How do you celebrate Matariki now?
This year I’ll be shaking things up and spending most of my time with my friends, we have all had a pretty crazy past few months so sharing our reflections and leaning on one another is something we’re all looking forward too. The age we’re at is interesting as we are starting to build our own lives and planning our futures together as well as knowing where the other has come from us very exciting! This time of year is a great time to ground yourself and connect and realign with people who are important to you.
