Maramataka and the Gregorian calendar

It is important to understand that these two systems are very different and do not integrate easily at first. Each system originates from a very different set of values and beliefs.

The Maramataka is a lunar-stellar system or moon-star based. Marama means both moon and lunar month.

A lunar month is roughly 29 and a half days between successive new moons - in Te Arawa we call the new moon Whirowhiti – and it normally straddles two Gregorian calendar months.

Some tribes list 13 months in some lunar years to account for the extra time period. Other tribes have divided a year into 12 months but use a different system of ‘adding in and dropping out’ days in different seasons to account for extra time. According to our current research, Te Arawa uses this method of accounting for extra time to accurately and consistently align to the environment.

Each month is represented by a star or stars who then have influence over that month. For example, many tribes herald Te Tau Hou or Te Mātahi o te Tau – the New Year – with the appearance of Matariki or the Pleiades constellation.

The Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar – it tracks the time it takes for the earth to orbit the sun - with 12 months of 28–31 days each. There are 365 and a quarter days in a year. That quarter of a day means that every 4 years we add in an extra day creating a Leap or intercalary year.

Maramataka are environmentally led

Lunar calendar systems like Maramataka are ‘environmentally led.’ You have to synch in with the natural rhythms of the environment because the environment dictates to you when things occur. Our tūpuna were experts in observing and interpreting ngā tohu o te taiao – the environmental signals – to understand the subtle shifts in time and phases and seasons.

The Gregorian calendar is set up very differently: man dictates to the environment when we are ready based on our preferences and we actually determine when certain points of time happen, for example: September 1st is the first day of Spring every year whether the environment signals a change or not.