How is Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar done?

Look at the moon tonight and name it. Note your energy three nights running. Compare with what the maramataka says.

Tāne Whetū

Living tradition

Maramataka, the Māori lunar calendar

Aotearoa New Zealand; today returning to schools and farming.

Every night of the moon has a name and an energy: some are good for fishing or planting, others for rest; the night you were born tells your rhythm.

How it's done

01Look at the moon tonight and name it.
02Note your energy three nights running.
03Compare with what the maramataka says.

With your own tools

You need nothing: step out, look up and note what you feel. That is the maramataka.

With Ocluna

Ocluna gives you tonight's phase, your birth phase and a ritual per night: the maramataka in your pocket.

See tonight's moonLearn Moon by playing

What Tāne Whetū tells you

The Māori maramataka has about thirty named lunar nights; some are good for fishing, others for planting kūmara, others for resting.
New Zealand made Matariki, the rising of the Pleiades, a public holiday in 2022: the Māori new year returned to the official calendar.
In the Māori maramataka, the first night following the new moon is called Whiro, and tradition indicates it as bad for fishing and planting: it is advisable not to start anything.
The full moon night of the maramataka is called Rākaunui and is among the best of the month for fishing and planting kūmara.
The night called Ōturu falls just before the full moon and is considered among the most productive of the maramataka: it was reserved for night fishing and for eels.
A group of maramataka nights bears the name of Tangaroa, the atua of the sea, and are among the most favorable for both planting and going out to fish.
The Māori year begins with the reappearance of Matariki, the Pleiades, in the dawn sky at the end of June, and the new year is celebrated in the following lunation.
Since the 2000s, schools and tribal councils in New Zealand have again published their own maramataka, because each iwi preserves a different version of the calendar.

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This reading is symbolic self-knowledge and entertainment content based on folk traditions. It does not predict the future, is not medical, legal or financial advice, and does not replace qualified professionals.

What Tāne Whetū tells you

The Māori maramataka has about thirty named lunar nights; some are good for fishing, others for planting kūmara, others for resting.

New Zealand made Matariki, the rising of the Pleiades, a public holiday in 2022: the Māori new year returned to the official calendar.

In the Māori maramataka, the first night following the new moon is called Whiro, and tradition indicates it as bad for fishing and planting: it is advisable not to start anything.

The full moon night of the maramataka is called Rākaunui and is among the best of the month for fishing and planting kūmara.

The night called Ōturu falls just before the full moon and is considered among the most productive of the maramataka: it was reserved for night fishing and for eels.

A group of maramataka nights bears the name of Tangaroa, the atua of the sea, and are among the most favorable for both planting and going out to fish.

The Māori year begins with the reappearance of Matariki, the Pleiades, in the dawn sky at the end of June, and the new year is celebrated in the following lunation.

Since the 2000s, schools and tribal councils in New Zealand have again published their own maramataka, because each iwi preserves a different version of the calendar.