Polynesian Time
Calendar
We are in
Season of Abundance
The Pleiades rise. The season of abundance, fertility, and sharing has begun.
The ancestral Polynesian calendar
The Polynesian calendar is based on the observation of the Pleiades (Matari'i), a star cluster visible in the southern hemisphere sky. This calendar has rhythmed the social, spiritual, and agricultural life of Polynesia for millennia.
Matari'i i ni'a (approximately November 20 to May 20) corresponds to the arrival of the monsoon, the warm or rainy season. The season when vegetation becomes lush, when fruits, tubers, and Uru can be harvested. The season when fish like the bonito return and can be caught. This six-month period is the season of Abundance.
After these six months, Matari'i i raro (approximately May 20 to November 20) marks the disappearance of rain and the arrival of the cool, dry season — a season that generates a more austere nature where everything becomes harder for agriculture and fishing. The period when rāhui is most applied on land and at sea. We enter into the period of Restriction. But thanks to the more constant winds with fewer storms, deep-sea navigation becomes more favorable, exchanges and the transmission of knowledge more common. This is also the period of the return of the humpback whales.
Rāhiti — September equinox: announces the gathering of the Arioi clan to prepare in song and dance the festivities of Matari'i i ni'a. From this point, the marae and spiritual sites are cleaned and purified for the return of the ancestors. Man must also reconcile all conflicts — a period of resolution to prepare mentally and spiritually. Vaere'a Marae ceremony.
Rāhiti — March equinox: marks the period of preparation for the season of restrictions, the Rāhui. Identification of resources to protect. Storage of food such as Uru. Preparation of the Va'a Hiva and their crews for deep-sea navigation. Va'a mataeina'a ceremony.
Ruapoto: marks the shortest day of the year. Ceremonial date to welcome the humpback whales.
Ruaroa (or Rua Maoro): marks the longest day. Ceremonial date for the navigator Tupaia.
November 20 has been an official public holiday in French Polynesia since 2025, recognizing the central place of Matari'i in Polynesian living heritage.
Upcoming events
16
mai 2026
Rurumira'a Ceremony
Archaeological sites of Papeno'o
Laying down of the Unu — symbolizes the return of the ancestors toward Te Pō, the realm of night.
20
mai 2026
Matari'i i raro Ceremony
Vaitu'oru River mouth, Papeno'o
Matari'i i raro ceremony at sunset. Rising of the constellations Te Matau a Maui, Te Matau a Tafa'i, and Te 'uo a Hiro.
22
mai 2026
Matari'i i raro Celebrations — CHPF & Museum
CHPF Ta'aone + Museum of the Islands of Tahiti
Celebrations at CHPF Ta'aone hospital. Lecture on Matari'i i raro at the Museum of the Islands of Tahiti.
15
juin 2026
Va'a Mata'a Immersion — June Session
Fare Hape, Papeno'o Valley
Five-day cultural immersion (15–19 June) for Va'a Mata'a program beneficiaries.
21
juin 2026
Ruapoto — Humpback Whale Ceremony
Museum of the Islands of Tahiti
Ruapoto — the shortest day of the year. Ceremony welcoming the return of the humpback whales.
13
juil. 2026
Va'a Mata'a Immersion — July Session
Fare Hape, Papeno'o Valley
Five-day cultural immersion (13–17 July) for Va'a Mata'a program beneficiaries.
7
sept. 2026
Va'a Mata'a Immersion — September Session
Fare Hape, Papeno'o Valley
Five-day cultural immersion (7–11 September) for Va'a Mata'a program beneficiaries.
21
sept. 2026
Rāhiti — Equinox & Vaere'a Marae Ceremony
Ivirau To'omaru Marae, Papeno'o
Rāhiti — autumn equinox. Vaere'a Marae ceremony — purification of the marae and spiritual preparation for Matari'i i ni'a. Gathering of the Arioi.
14
nov. 2026
Tuhitra'a Marae — Raising of the Unu
Three sites, Papeno'o Valley
Tuhitra'a Marae ceremony. Raising of the Unu at three sites in Papeno'o Valley — welcoming of the ancestors.
20
nov. 2026
Matari'i i ni'a Ceremony
Vaitu'oru River mouth, Papeno'o
Matari'i rising ceremony at sunset. Opening of the season of abundance — official public holiday in French Polynesia since 2025.
28
nov. 2026
Va'a Mata'a Final Immersion 2026
Fare Hape, Papeno'o Valley
Closing cultural immersion at Fare Hape (28 Nov – 4 Dec) — end of the Va'a Mata'a 2026 program.
21
déc. 2026
Rua Roa — Tupaia Ceremony
Tahiti
Rua Roa — the longest day of the year. Ceremony in honor of Tupaia, the great Polynesian navigator.
Visualization of Earth's journey around the Sun
View the Polynesian orbital schema →