Celebrating the Southern Seasons

Batten, Juliet. Celebrating the Southern Seasons. Tandem Press, 1995.

• “Within Maori society, the marae traditionally provided the space for differences to be ritualised, disputes to be settled, and visions shaped; the sacred ground where the power of their ancestors is invoked and people may speak from the heart” 15

• “For some Pakeha (and Maori as well), their sacred ground has been that of the Church.” 15

• “We need to bring more than just material culture to the meeting point,” 16

• Book goes on to explain we are all one from the Earth Mother even though she has different names in different cultures.

• “Much of the Celtic imagery is resonant with that of Maori spiritualilty; for example, the sacredness of the colours red, white and black, and the spirals that densely twisted and turned throughout their art work.” 18 + 19

• The book says that Europeans were Celtic and were Pagan before Christianity came along. So it’s not only the Maori’s who have had their culture changed by this religion.

• “By the time the Europeans had colonised Aotearoa in the 19th century, some had lost touch with the old ways, being city dwellers practising a religion that frowned on a pagan relationship with land and seasons.” 19

• Pagan is described as being very similar to Maori in the base of beliefs and their connection to the natural.

• “Maori people have their own forms, which are often based on lines of people, as is appropriate to rituals of encounter. Christians may prefer to use the altar as a focal point, placing symbols there and incorporating the various elements into the church service.” 24

• The book then goes over different ‘rituals’ connected to the seasons and explains the importance of it for each culture. I will use the Winter solstice as an example:

• Maori – their god Ra had 2 wives and he spends half a year with each of them so the solstice is when he leaves the Winter wife to visit the Summer wife. 40

• Pagan Europe: “the birth of a divine male child from the dark womb of the goddess” 45. It is described as the birth of the sun bringing light and warmth after a cold, dark winter.

• Christian: Christmas. Jesus was supposedly born on the 6th of January but it was moved to the 25th of December to line up with the Pagan festival which ended up over taking it. Similar to Pagan as it was the birth of a boy (sun child).

• “Most people miss out on the significance of Winter solstice, for although Christmas with all its solstice links is still celebrated, it takes place at entirely the wrong time of year. Here in the Southern Hemisphere it becomes a summer festival, but is acted out as if it were still winter.” 54