Wednesday, September 18, 2013

New Zealand, Matariki 2013

This cover from New Zealand has a pair of stamps from the 2013 Matariki issue from New Zealand Post.  Matariki is the Māori new year and also the Māori name for the Pleiades star cluster whose rising signifies the Māori new year. For the past few years, New Zealand Post has produced an annual stamp issue to commemorate Matariki.

The theme for this year's stamps is "Koru":  a spiral pattern used in Māori art to symbolize rebirth. The pattern is derived from the unfurling leaves of the silver fern. Both Matariki stamps on this cover display a variation of this spiral pattern.

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