Are you thinking of how best to spend your New Year? Well, here’s a proposal for you from India. It’s a symbolic ritual used to get rid of a past year and prepare to start a fresh and happier new one. Be ready for magic!!

 

Indian New Year Ritual Ceremony

 

First: last recollection: start writing down all the negative things that took place during the last year. It is the last time you remember them, so make sure to write as much as you can recall. Everything that went wrong, everything you hated, everything you wished to change, everything that made you sad, angry, unhappy, frustrated. Simply, write it all down. It may take you a lot longer than you think because as you think more of the bad things which happened, somehow you start remembering more and more: at home, at work, between family and friends, in traffic, in queues everything. Last year most people took 1 hour or so - we all expected it will be done in 10mins, but guess what!

 

Ask all the friends joining in your ceremony to do the same. Each need to do it in their own time but ideally right before the ceremony or at least same day - believe me, you will feel really down by the time you finished writing all this. But it’s ok! Because at the end of the ceremony you’ll be amazed how you end up feeling.

 

Second: prepare the recipe: you need to get a bowl made from steel or clay - something which doesn’t burn. Put all the pieces of paper inside it - make sure each one puts their own piece and see it there! Cover it with clay. Clay taken from the grown is ideal. Then put some water to mix it all up. Don’t put too much water or it won’t burn well. Mix it well so that the paper is almost buried in the clay and water.

 

Third: burning ceremony: early enough before New Year starts get together in a circle and put the bowl in the middle. Each one must light a match and throw it in the bowl to put the mixture on fire. It may seem like it will not all burn up, but if you leave it long enough, it will. Ideally it should all burn up before the New Year. Keep adding fire until you all can see that your papers are turning into smoke and ashes and mixed completely with the clay and water (all will be one big dark matter in the end).

 

While watching the fire, start thinking of the things written on the paper and imagine that they’re all being burnt out - all the bad, frustrating, heart aching incidences of last year are burning away into smoke and they no longer reside in your heart or mind. This will be the last time you remember or feel anything towards all that. By now, you should start feeling a lot lighter and happier and ready to start the New Year.

 

Fourth: New Year starting: now that all the mixture is burnt out, everyone can start lighting a candle and putting it in front of them in the circle. This is the light that will guide this New Year. Make all the wishes you want for this New Year and all the resolutions you intend to do- be careful, this is time when your brain is clear and you can start thinking fresh. Don’t expect a genie to appear or anything the miracle is that now you can start thinking again and hoping for good in the New Year.

 

Lastly: burying the past: as you get up from the circle, gather the burnt mix and burry it again in the earth. The earth can always recycle the burnt ashes - this is symbolic to the renewal taking place inside you as well since the dead year is going to be buried but will eventually be recycled into the earth and used by the plants to grow a new year

 

Now that you’re done with the ritual, take a deep breath, enjoy the rest of the evening or morning and get ready for a wonderful new year.

 

Happy New Year everybody J

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