Feb 06, 2018
Waitangi Day (New Zealand National Day 2018)
This Doodle’s Key Themes
Today, the beautiful country of New Zealand celebrates Waitangi Day, the country’s official National Day. Waitangi Day is named after a small city on the North Island of New Zealand where the Treaty of Waitangi, the country’s founding document, was first signed in 1840. Signing the treaty brought New Zealand’s indigenous Māori tribes and British representatives together into one new government. More than 40 Māori chiefs joined the British for the signing ceremony, and both cultures are still woven together in the fabric of the country today.
Celebrations at Waitangi begin at sunrise with a flag raising ceremony by the Royal New Zealand Navy and continue throughout the day with church services, historic reenactments of the signing, song, and dance. Elsewhere in New Zealand, local communities take the day to learn more about Māori culture and their history, or visit the beach to take in a typical sunny summer day. You’ll even find parties in London, which hosts the largest community of Kiwi expatriates outside of New Zealand. No matter where you may be in the world, if you have roots in New Zealand, we wish you a very happy Waitangi Day!
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