Like Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil, New Zealand has never resolved the fundamental conflict at the heart of our culture. This refers to the fact that we have imported a Northern Hemisphere culture, with its calendar and its seasonal holidays, into the Southern Hemisphere. This has led to some glaring contradictions.
When Christians invaded Europe and destroyed the native European religious traditions, part of their strategy was to impose their culture over the top of those existing traditions. To this end, they took the existing Northern European festival of Yule and replaced it with Christmas.
The celebration of Yule in the Nordic calendar occurred because at that time, three days after the Winter Solstice, it was possible to notice the celestial procession changing direction. Some stars that had appeared to “die” by falling below the horizon now rose again. The days started to become significantly lighter. It was if the gods had chosen to turn their favour upon the people once more.
In Elementalist terms, it means that the society started going up the right-hand side of the Quadrijitu. Yule marks the transition from the Undergoing Will to the Overcoming Will.
Naturally, such an occasion called for great joy. Everyone still alive had survived the darkest part of the winter. They could all look forward to more and more sunlight, every day (for the near future, at least). As a new year was underway, it made sense to take time to make up for old grudges and to renew friendships by gathering in merriment.
This is why Northern Europeans gifted presents at that time, celebrated the return of the light and made up with people in their community. It was one of the most joyous and anticipated events in the calendar. Luciferian scholar Debbie Cartwright believes that a festival at this time has been celebrated since the Neolithic period.
During the Age of Colonisation, settlers from Europe brought their calendar to all their colonies. This worked out fine in America and Canada, where the seasons are similar. But in the colonies of the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are the opposite to Europe. So December 25th in South Africa, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand etc. fell in the middle of Summer.
There’s nothing necessarily wrong with celebrating the Summer Solstice with beaches, beers, BBQs, cricket and touch rugby and calling it Christmas, but it does mean that there is a big Yule-sized gap in the calendar around the Winter Solstice.
Because none of the Southern Hemisphere countries celebrate the Winter Solstice (for the same reason that none of the Northern Hemisphere countries celebrate the Summer Solstice), there is an empty space where no festivities take place. Matariki, a holiday recently introduced by the Government, fills that gap nicely.
Matariki is otherwise known as the Maori New Year, but in reality it’s the Southern Hemisphere New Year, as it heralds the beginning of a new solar cycle for all of the countries South of the Equator. As such, three days after the Winter Solstice marks the day of the Yule celebrations. In New Zealand this year, three days after the Winter Solstice is 24th June – the same day as Matariki.
The suggestion of this essay, therefore, is that Kiwis ought to treat Matariki as another Yule, except Yule similar to how it is celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter Solstice heralds the coming of the light, and so the people celebrate it with lights. Their homes and neighbourhoods are decorated with lights, representing the Unconquered Sun’s victory over the forces of darkness. They also give each other gifts, whether those others are family, friends, neighbours or workmates, and apologise for past misunderstandings.
In Scandinavia people drink a lot of mulled wine for Yule. This may or may not catch on in New Zealand. What would surely catch on is smoking cannabis for Matariki. Cannabis has already become an established feature of festivities for both Maoris and white Kiwis. A day or evening when we came together to give gifts, smoke weed and celebrate the return of the light would be amazing (I personally will be celebrating Matariki by taking some LSD with my community).
Above all, Kiwis should be aware that, whatever our calendar says, this is the beginning of the life cycle of the solar year. The Sun will get stronger and stronger in the Southern Hemisphere for the next six months, as living creatures do in the first half of their lives. Then, after the Summer Solstice, the Sun will get weaker and weaker for the next six months, as living creatures do in the final half of their lives.
We should therefore celebrate Matariki as we would an auspicious birth.
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