What About New Zealand?

New Zealand 

As I sit down to think about our next travel/celebration spot, New Zealand popped into my head. What is New Zealand and what kind of culture or traditions do they have? As I pondered on this question I could like come up with even an idea as to what New Zealand was all about. So this week we will be traveling to New Zealand to discover the people, culture, and traditions.

 New Zealand is an island country in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is made up of the two landmasses known as the North Island (Maui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu). The culture that inhabits New Zealand are the Maori people. The Maori people arrived in New Zealand in canoes over 1000 years ago.
The Maori people have a very unique culture. They are also rich with tradition and contemporary arts such as carving, weaving, kap haka (group performance) and many more interesting things; one of my favorite was moko (tattoo). The Maori people tattoo their bodies as a form of art. Many of the techniques that the Maori people use to perform and administer their art in their culture is very close to how their ancestors did things. Old technique is the best technique according to them. In the picture below is their form of tattooing. The Maori people believe that this is the best way to tattoo their bodies.

The Maori culture is an oral one that is full of stories and legends. One of the most important stories is their creation story. The Maori creation story describes the world being formed by the violent separation of Ranginui, the Sky Father, and Papatuanuku, the Earth Mother, by their children. Many Maori carvings and artworks graphically depict this struggle. In the end this struggle formed the two islands that make up New Zealand today. 

Because New Zealand is an island it it was one of the last inhabited islands. While other landmasses were being inhabited by people New Zealand was left in isolation. During its isolation the plant life grew in large quantities and with large diversity. New Zealand is known now for its green beautiful land. They have flowers that many have never even heard of and not to mention the bird species of rare and exotic numbers. 

New Zealand is definitely a site to see and the Maori people are full of culture and tradition. Who knows, maybe your next vacation will be a trip to New Zealand! I hope you enjoyed this weeks post and I hope to see you next week! 

It's The Luck of the Irish Today!

St. Patrick's Day in Ireland.

Recently I was faced with an interesting question about St. Patrick's Day, What is the holiday for and does Ireland celebrate it like America or do they have their own unique traditions? St. Patrick's Day is celebrated every year on March 17th, which was about 2 weeks ago, so this week we will take the time to travel to Ireland to see what St. Patrick's Day is really about.

Let's start with Leprechauns, What are they? Leprechauns did not come into the St. Patrick's Day tradition until later. Leprechauns are said to be shoemakers that that would take their money (gold coins) and hide them away in their homes. Leprechauns were just a form for people to make fun of the Irish and later the myth of the pot of gold being at the end of the rainbow came along. The Irish were hard working men and women who dressed "funny" according to people of their time. The Irish dressed with used clothes of years passed which represent the typical Leprechaun with a short coat vest. Leprechauns serve as a stereotype to Irish people. 

St Patrick's Day is actually a day that celebrates the life of Saint Patrick on his date of death, March 17th. Saint Patrick himself was born into a wealthy Roman British family but was then at age 16 he was kidnapped by Irish raiders. He spent 6 years working as a shepherd and during this time he "found God." God then spoke to Saint Patrick and told him to flee to the coast where there would be a ship waiting to take him home. Once he arrived home he went on to become a priest. According to tradition it was said that Saint Patrick returned to Ireland to convert the pagan Irish into Christianity. 

Fun fact:

The green clover that is a symbol of Saint Patrick on this day is special because it has 3 cloves representing the holy trinity. 

Well my friends, now we have learned the true meaning of St. Patrick's Day! To answer my question in the beginning the Irish do not celebrate this day like America does. The Irish spend more time to appreciate and remember Saint Patrick and what he did for Christianity. The Irish take this day as a day to feast and remember the great St. Patrick. 

Until next time! 

Can anyone think of a dream vacation spot they have always wanted to go to? Well take a moment and think..... Got it? ok good! Now click the comment box below and let me know! It could be our next trip!