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Kidsfirst Shirley light up a winters' night for a community celebration of Matariki...
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| Kidsfirst Shirley families gathered around the comfort of a warm and mesmerizing bonfire under the star-spangled evening sky, to share kai and celebrate Matariki.
“With the lead up to our evening of celebration tamariki prepared freshly harvested vegetables from our very own kindergarten crop, with parents also donating vegetables, to make a crowd-pleasing, winter-warming soup,“ says Head Teacher, Janette Bowen.
Teacher, Amie Holmes also baked delicious Maori bread (rewena paraoa), a traditional sourdough potato bread - just perfect to dip into a hearty, healthy bowl of vegetable soup!
“Our Matariki celebrations were not only a great chance to check out the stars in the night sky but also a wonderful opportunity for new parents and families to meet each other,” says Janette.
“The highlight for the children was toasting marshmellows over the fire and lighting up the night sky with their colourful, luminescent glow sticks.”
| DID YOU KNOW...
Matariki literally translates to 'eyes of god' (mata ariki) or 'little eyes' (mata riki), and is the name given to the seven star cluster (also known as the Pleiades), that appears on our horizon in late May or June heralding the start of the Māori New Year.
Legend has it ‘the brighter the stars, the warmer the season would be, bringing a more productive crop.’ |
