New Zealand Wedding Reception

[tonyav]

Certainly different to the first dance.
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other/new-zealand-video-of-wedding-haka-that-brings-bride-to-tears-goes-viral/vi-BBoyIs3

[jno]

I went to a wedding in New Jersey once where there were some Kiwi guests, and they performed a haka. They can be very moving even if you don't speak Polynesian, if they're done well.

[RATTER15]

My Son lives in New Zealand, I'm kinda Hoping that when he gets married it will be over here. I can't fly the hounds over there.

[pastafreak]

Damn! I wanted to know what happened next...could hear women chanting in the background. Fascinating and very emotional.

[vulcan42]

I always thought the haka was a war chant, hardly suitable for a wedding :o)

[gness]

Huh!....Vulcan never met my ex in laws!......☺

[vulcan42]

Ah right, I had forgotten about the Mother in law, due mainly to my in laws were always referred to as the outlaws.

[Mamyalynne]

Very powerful , thank you.

[jno]

it's not only a war chant, it's a ritual that can be used as a challenge, a political satire (like calypso in Trinidad), a greeting, a performance, a mark of respect. You mostly see it in Britain from Pacific rugby teams going into battle but down under it's much more varied.

[jackthehat]

At my cousins wedding (his wife is Fijian) the male guests/relatives performed a haka....hairs up on the back of the neck.....but the ladies performed a traditional bridal goodwill song/dance....and there was hardly a dry eye in the house.
It was so beautifully and sincerely performed that it was even more moving.
I don't think that I'll ever be lucky enough to experience anything like it again.

[Mamyalynne]

I think it's the fact that so many of these deep seated native traditions come from nature and the true soul and that is why they hit a particular spot that moves us.

[anneasquith]

Fabulous. Hope they had a change of clothing though!!!!!!!!

[jackthehat]

I think that's it, mamy.
So many of our traditions surrounding 'hatches, matches, dispatches' are so .....*dry* that when we see just how it can be done with reverence and joy and deep respect that it shows up the lack of those essential ingredients in our own ceremonies.

[RATTER15]

what are they actually shouting. I assume they are actually words and not just noises? Also, are their different versions of the Haka for different events?

[Mamyalynne]

I am sure there are many versions, these are the words to the sporting one...


Words chanted on field, and their literal interpretation[edit]
Taringa whakarongo! Let your ears listen
Kia rite! Kia rite! Kia mau! Hī! Get ready...! Line up...! Steady...! Yeah!
Kia whakawhenua au i ahau! Let me become one with the land
Hī aue, hī! (assertive sounds to raise adrenaline levels)
Ko Aotearoa e ngunguru nei! New Zealand is rumbling here
Au, au, aue hā!
Ko Kapa o Pango e ngunguru nei! The Team in Black is rumbling here
Au, au, aue hā!
I āhahā!
Ka tū te Ihiihi Stand up to the fear
Ka tū te Wanawana Stand up to the terror
Ki runga ki te rangi, To the sky above,!
E tū iho nei, tū iho nei, hī! Fight up there, high up there. Yeah!
Ponga rā! The shadows fall!
Kapa o Pango, aue hī! Team in Black, yeah!
Ponga rā! Darkness falls!
Kapa o Pango, aue hī, hā! Team in Black, Yeah, Ha!
The words of both 'Kapa o Pango' and 'Ko Niu Tireni' are taken from the haka of the earthquake god Ruaumoko, Ko Ruaumoko e ngunguru nei. The lines beginning Ka tū te ihi-ihi... are found in many old haka.Ponga ra, ponga ra is the opening line of 'Te Kiri Ngutu,' an 1880s lament for stolen territory.

[RATTER15]

Thank you Mama xx

[baza]

i thought she was crying because she was still working her way through the team and her husband realised.