CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS

For knowing a nation, we have to learn about it, not only its politic organization, economic system or history facts, but also we have to be able to understand that nation from its inside. For learning about a nation we have to be between the population, knowing and being part of their customs and traditions. Through of the customs and traditions from a nation in particular, we can learn more thoroughly their culture and language.

A customs is defined as “a traditional and widely accepted way of behaving or doing something that is specific to a particular society, place, or time” (oxforddictionaries.com, point 1.). And tradition is defined as “the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way” (oxforddictionaries.com, point1). After we have given the correct definitions about both terms, we can establish that customs are ways of behaving from a nation, which are transmitted for generations. And we must have very clear what means every one of these terms for knowing and understand how people behave; better said the culture of a nation.

How in every nation, we can see in New Zealand customs and traditions such a celebrations and holidays, marriage and family customs or social habits. We will tackle these issues; furthermore we will see the different beliefs they have adopted through the time pass by.

In matter of social behavior, the way of saluting is shaking hands no matter the genre, but if it’s a woman with a man in a formal way, the man waits for the woman to do the first movement. Maori people use a hug as a salute or the traditional hongi, which consists on getting closer nose to nose, closing their eyes and making a sound like “mm-mm”. Another salute called Kia Ora consists on wishing good blessings to the other person; nowadays this salute has being used more and more by people in general.

For the Maori people the family is very important, they still have families with a lot of members and is a tradition those generations of the same family live together in the same house. For the Maori people there is also important the communitarian place called Marae, in that place they do their ceremonies, reunions and all kind of activities.

Family is very important, not only to Maori People, but on New Zealand in general; furthermore, families are very worried about houses, or their homes. Families invest too much money to improve their houses; and thus feel good and being comfortable. Almost all New Zealand’s people is worried about purchase their own home, almost no one rents a house. The higher number of houses rented is by foreigner, who need live temporally there or people, who have not raised the enough money to buy one.

New Zealand’s families like spending their free time in their homes and do barbecues –this are very, very popular in the whole country-; moreover, people is very hospital and they often invite persons to their homes, only a little after know them.

Marriage is celebrated with a big party and a lot of food, along with music and dances. But nowadays the percentage of marriages has been decreasing; due to the percentage of couples living together in the same house has been increasing. Nonetheless, Maori consider the marriage yet; though the number of women and men who live together with no marriage is creasing, but in a minor number. 

New Zealand has a national day called “Waitangi”, celebrated every year on February 6, in this historic day people celebrate that in 1810 the British council firmed an agreement allowing New Zealand to be a British colony and the protection of Maori people under the British. Celebration begins a day before the Waitangi, this day is called Ngapuhi Te tii marae and it is a speech from the Iwi, in that speech are presented the problems that the country is facing during the year.

There are many other festivals, which New Zealand celebrates, such as the Auckland Folk Festival (celebration of music, singing and dance), New Zealand International Arts Festival (celebrated every two years and during –practically- one month) and other ones less important such as Biennial Wellington Jazz Festival, New Zealand Fringe Festival, the International Comedy Festival, Folkloric Wellington Festival, against other festivals.

Other days of celebration are the Anzac and the birthday of the queen Elizabeth II –or queen, who is in the moment-. Anzac is a day, which honors the army of New Zealand who fought in the World War I; in this day there are special rugby games and dances. The birthday of the queen is celebrated the first Monday of June, in this day there is a parade in her honor and the cavalry shoots 41 shots, all of this accompanied with music and dances. Against other days are the workday (fourth Monday of June), Christmas (twenty-five of December) and the Boxing Day (twenty-six of December).

Many of those festivals, allow to the population learn more about his country, and also enjoy a while between friends or family, under the sound of bands or folklorical groups of music and dance.

The religion is based on Christianity since the British colonizers –one of the most important legacies from England-. Anglican with 554,925 members, Roman Catholic with 508,810, Presbyterian Christians with 400,445 and Methodist with over 100,000 members is the largest sub sects among the Christians (statistical data extracted from Spainexchange.com). Christmas and Easter are the most important Christian days of this country. New Zealand is a country very believing Christian; even its national anthem is called “God Defend New Zealand”.

New Zealand’s nation is a nation, who likes enjoy and have fun, have a great quantity of different kind of festival internationally known, from one day to almost one month. Moreover, society from New Zealand is familiar society; this could be owing to the close relationship between Maori people and the New Zealand Society (as we established in a previous essay and we already know, the New Zealand’s society is a mixed society). Moreover, as other interesting point, we would like highlighting the great quantity of money, which New Zealand’s society invest on their homes, though this is comprehensible to us, for trying to create a comfortable home to live, spend a lot of money, worth it.

And as a last point, we could say that New Zealand; and as a last point, we could say that New Zealand; continues being an interesting nation, owing to its multiculturalism and its being way, one never finish to learn about it.