Christmas Traditions: Pohutukawa
Christmas trees are a staple feature in many homes around the end of the year, along with fireplaces and hot cocoa. these are fitting for a visit from the frigid North Pole, but in the southern hemisphere the holiday season is in the summertime. In New Zealand, residents have taken advantage of the early summer weather by adopting a particularly festive local tree, the Pohutukawa, as the symbol for Christmas on the island.
Pohutukawa are venerated by the first humans to arrive on the island, the Māori. In fact, the tree plays one of the most important roles in their journey into the afterlife. On Cape Reinga, a single tree has beaten the odds by surviving on a harsh cliffside with ocean waves crashing below. It is said that recently departed spirits first travel here to climb down the roots of this tree into the sea, where they will begin their voyage through the underworld.
Today, Pohutukawa are well known as the Kiwi Christmas Tree, and serve as a symbol for the holiday season for Kiwis at home and abroad. When Europeans celebrated their first Christmas in New Zealand, they were forced to do so without the familiar holly decorating their churches and homes. Pohutukawa trees, with their red summer blooming flowers, made a perfect alternative.