Today marks the winter solstice - in the Rapa Nui language Ta'u Ho'ou o - celebrated on the Ahu Huri a Ureŋa on Rapa Nui, Easter Island.
The cosmos has been observed and often revered by all ancient civilizations since the beginning of time. Rapa Nui is no exception, because here the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, the constellations and their position in the firmament were observed throughout the year.
In the past, it was the Maori u'i hetu'u or star experts who recognized that the appearance of this or that star in the sky or its change in position coincided with certain natural phenomena on land and in the sea.
The position of the stars in the sky determined the right time for sowing or harvesting, the arrival of migratory birds, turtles, the spawning of certain fish and other aspects of nature, and were also particularly important for seafaring. For each special occasion, there were ceremonies at sacred places, the Ahu (altars).
Among the most important constellations is that of the Pleiades, known on Rapa Nui as Matariki. The Pleiades appears with the first light of dawn and indicates the beginning of the winter solstice.
The celebration of the appearance of the Pleiades took place at Ahu Huri a Ureŋa, an altar with astronomical alignment erected perpendicular to the azimuthal line, the imaginary line that connects the rising and setting of the sun on this date and marks the longest night of the year.
The ancient Rapa Nuis learned to distinguish the solstices and equinoxes by looking at the stars and thus recognize the different seasons. For each season, there were special ceremonies and rituals to give thanks and attract positive forces.
