Hearth Foxlynx here, and I want to talk a bit about New Years Eve and Day, whenever your New Years is. For some Samhain, October 31st, is New Years, sometimes called the Witches New Year. For some Romans and Roman Pagans, New Years was/is on March 1st, the day that Vesta's Sacred Fires were renewed. For some Greeks and Hellenic Polytheists, New Years was/is either around the Summer or Winter Solstice. Then there's also the Chinese New Year which sources (1,3) said follows the lunar calendar, that "falls between January and February" and is a festival "that lasts for 16 days."
When do you celebrate New Years?
I follow the mainstream calendar, although I also celebrate March 1st's Renewal of Vesta's Flame, a day that I call the Flamma Vesta (from Debra Macleod's New Vesta Tradition). But not for New Years reasons.
Do you have any traditions or rituals?
High Phoenix Nikki Kirby said that she likes to perform a Cut and Clear ritual, and "make realistic goals that she will stick to throughout the year."
Come Sunday, January 2nd, 2022, at 8pm EST on Zoom, Evermoving We Rise is having such ritual that's free and you're invited to join! Nikki said, "We are doing a cut and clear ritual to cut away what we don't need, and make way for the new. You will need two candles - black and white. These candles can be either size, but remember these candles must burn down completely. You might want to use either tealight candles or chime candles." Facebook Event Invite: https://www.facebook.com/events/3472275729665732 Zoom Link for those Without FB: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82168493878?pwd=MWhhbkczcllWVjUzM2NqMU9VSWlSdz09&fbclid=IwAR2IAa-gGLsSqs4pG70DbrbYnrjQbv-CayQudBOOJWzyzv0YvkjEXHdxInM#success
Moonlight Potions & Charms has Cut & Clear oils and candles available in the shop: "Anytime we end things whether it be a relationship, job, etc..., we need to cut what is no longer needed or wanted, and clear the way for new beginnings and opportunities!" These two products are great for any time of the year.
What goes on in the Foxlynx household, you may be wondering? A lot. We celebrate Yule, technically all December long, then have the rituals and parties From the 20th to the 26th. It's very ritual heavy for my family, but a lot of fun, too. Come the 31st, we put away the Yule decorations, clean the house, take out the trash and recycling, and cleanse with smoke and sound--that last part is what my kids really enjoy. The neighbors not so much. We have a dinner made up of old and new family traditions. Any combination of sauerkraut and/or pork, a fresh salad, and grapes and/or grape juice for good luck, health, and abundance. Since Persephone is one of my Core Entities, I was thinking about incorporating pomegranate juice or wine this year, as I saw them mentioned in various sources (5). I thought, what a simple way to include Persephone in my new year? A time of slow emergence from darkness. Why not have a glass with Her and Hades, too? After the kids go to bed, I have another ritual that I believe was inspired by Sarah Kate Istra Winter's book Komos (page 32), back when I was a Hellenic Polytheist. The Dionysus Pannukhia is a ritual where I ask for Dionysus' help to cut away the old, so the new can grow. I use a cord and charge half of it with good things, and charge the other half with everything that I want to release. Then I cut the cord. I burn the bad half, and keep the good half on His shrine as a reminder of my good qualities and my reachable goals. On the next Pannukhia, I burn the old cord, then begin the ritual anew. I've been doing this ritual since 2017, and let me tell you, it's been a wild ride of healing and growth! I'd expect nothing else from Dionysus!
Come New Years Day, I gather the ash from last year's home cleansings and blessings, some herbs and salt too, and grind them together, making a black salt. I ask for Hestia-Vesta's blessings over it. I use this powerful protection mixture to mark little wooden figures that are kept around Vesta's statue, our foreheads, entrances, and vehicles.
Either the Eve or Day, I also like to do a Year Ahead Reading for myself, which are usually pretty darn accurate! Then the rest of January is a chill month--a recovery from the hectic holidays where we don't do anything (well, minus Evermoving We Rise's Full Moon Zooms).
Sometimes I like to make a list of 10-ish Tries. Attempts. Due to depression, anxiety, and ADHD, I tend to be a little flakey, so I don't like making promises, even to myself. Because at the end of the year, I don't want to look at that list and be disappointed in myself. But I do like to do divination to see what my potential theme is for the year. The last couple of years, the focus has been on Learning Patience and Trusting the Process...and myself. Hasn't been easy, but I've certainly been trying.
But what if I don't feel like it?
You don't have to do a lot of big rituals. I have some friends who just cleanse their homes with smoke or sound. Other friends may take cleansing showers or baths. There's a lot of other things that you can do.
You know what else? It's okay to not do anything! The holidays aren't cheerful and fun for everyone. Even if they are for you, you may be exhausted. Low spoons. I don't always get around to everything, but I like having a lot of options in case I have the energy for something.
Never feel like you have to do anything, do what you have the energy for, even if it's just watching a ball drop, eating or drinking, or just resting. Explain this to friends and family, if you want or need to. Boundaries and self care are important.
Blessed New Years to those who celebrate and observe. May these holidays be gentle.
Thank you for supporting Evermoving We Rise, Moonlight Potions & Charms, and Witch Hat Chats this year! We really appreciate it. <3
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Resources:
Cindy. China Highlights: Chinese New Year Celebrations (2022): Day-by-Day-Guide. December 20, 2021. https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/festivals/chinese-new-year-celebration.htm
Macleod, Debra. The New Vesta Secret: Finding the Flame of Faith, Home, & Happiness. 2014.
National Day Calendar: Chinese New Year. https://nationaldaycalendar.com/chinese-new-year-changes-annually/
Winter, Sarah Kate Istra. Komos: Celebrating Festivals in Contemporary Hellenic Polytheism. 2015.
Zauberman, Kara. The Pioneer Woman: 12 Traditional New Year's Foods That Bring Good Luck in the Year Ahead. November 23, 2021. https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/meals-menus/g38331983/new-years-good-luck-foods/?slide=1