12 Rituals and Traditions to Ring In The New Year | Life Love and Hiccups: 12 Rituals and Traditions to Ring In The New Year
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Thursday 29 December 2016

12 Rituals and Traditions to Ring In The New Year

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New Years Sparkler







I don't think I have ever looked forward to a new year like I have this coming one.

I'm not alone right?

According to numerology 2016 is the 9th universal year in nine year cycle.

Back in 2008 we started this nine year cycle and how we started it back then, could reflect how we are feeling right now at the end of it.

I can't really remember what I was doing this time back in 2008 but I do know this year has been a hell of a rollercoaster and the past few months have felt particularly crazy around the world and we have all probably added to the frenzy with our eagerness to finish this cycle and end this bloody year once and for all.

If you believe in numerology or if you are superstitious in anyway, then I need to tell you that now would be a good time to set your intentions for the next nine years.

According to numerology experts, it is important that we begin the next cycle by forgiving the past, letting go of any grudges, fears or worries and start 2017 and the next nine years with an open heart.

If all that sounds like gobblty gook, that's OK too... my hubby typically just rolls his eyes at me and says 'yes dear' when I rabbit on about this, because regardless, a new year is a fresh new start, a brand spanking new notebook waiting for you to fill each page with your dreams and adventures.

Personally, I freaking love the start of a new year.

The delicious promise of new beginnings and because I am ridiculously superstitious then of course I have a whole load of rituals and traditions that I follow to make sure that our next 9 years run as smoothly as humanly possible.

I thought I would share some of them with you guys, you know in case you too are also SO COMPLETELY OVER how this past year has led you to feel and you want to start a fresh with a clean slate.

1.CLEAN & DECLUTTER
Yep sorry guys, but we need to snap out of our silly season food comas and get off the couch. Arm yourself with some boxes and bags and start decluttering.

Clothes, toys, knick knacks... anything that no longer serves you purpose or you don't seriously love... get rid of it and donate it. Then start cleaning and keep going until your curtains and cushions are washed, fresh sheets on the bed and every surface dust free.

I know I know, it sounds a little obsessive... and truth be told that is probably the OCD in me coming to the surface because I do love an excuse for a good clean, however, this is one clean you want to put a little extra effort into.

2. TAKE A PHOTO
Get out from behind the camera and get it front of it instead.

Take some photos of you and your family and your besties so that you can look back on them throughout the year and feel grateful for having those people in your life.

For those of us who see the new year as an opportunity to lose weight or get fit, it's a good way to see how far we have come when we look back on them next year.

3. SAY YOU ARE SORRY & MAKE PEACE
If you have been holding any grudges or harbouring any ill feeling towards someone or a situation, then now is the time to let it go because you really don't want to take that shit into the new year with you.

Phone them up or write them a letter, you can even pen a letter to someone who has passed away then burn it releasing what ever it is you are holding on to.

Say you are sorry for whatever part you played in the situation, no matter how big or small, and then put it behind you and move on feeling lighter and free.

4. END THE YEAR HOW YOU WANT TO START IT
Surround yourself with your most special people.

Eat good food, toast to each other and tell each one of those people how awesome they are and how much they mean to you.

Celebrate seeing yet another year close, no matter how sucky that year might have been and end the year with love and laughter because THAT'S what you want in your new year right?

Right!

5. MAKE A LIST
Before the year ends, take a little quiet time for yourself to sit and make a list of all that you want to achieve or have in your life over the next year.

I'm doing my list for the next nine year cycle so I'm gonna be needing a big fat gin to sit with as I think I'll be writing for a while.

There is so much I hope I hold for the next nine years, for me personally, my family, my business and the world and it is so important to be as specific as possible when you write what you wish for as the universe is listening and what you think feel and wish for is what the universe will ultimately deliver.

So on that note... don't hold back on wishing for lots of the good stuff in life. You deserve it.

6. START A GRATITUDE JAR
Now is a good time to create a special jar to capture good memories throughout the year.

Every time you experience something good in your life, good fortune, a win, a joyous moment, write it down and encourage your family to do so too.

Feel gratitude for everything you write and you will feel that gratitude three times over when you reread from your jar at the end of next year.

7. SHARE YOUR GRATITUDE
Speaking of gratitude, consider taking turns around the table at your final meal of the year to tell each other what is the one thing you are most grateful for from the year that has been.

Gratitude breeds more of the same and by saying it out loud you are telling the universe that you are ready to receive more reasons to feel grateful in the new year.


8. LET GO OF THE PAST
Take a moment to write down on a small piece of paper all the things you do not want to take into the new year with you, things like fears, worries, pain, heartache, grief and burden.

Encourage those with you on New Years to do the same too and then together set fire to the paper in a fireproof bowl or a fire pit and let the universe take care of those burdens for you.

Then, just like that, they are no longer yours to carry into the new year.

9. PUT SOMETHING GOLD IN YOUR DRINK
OK, I am not really sure where this one came from, but I do remember being told that if you put something gold (a ring or a trinket) into your glass that you will toast the new year with, it will bring you good fortune and prosperity.

I'm gonna go with it as I could sure do with a little good fortune and prosperity in 2017.

10. PLANT SOME FLOWER / WISH SEEDS
Plants some flower seeds with your kids and with each little seed they plant, tell them to make a wish for the new year. As they watch their flowers grow and then bloom throughout the year remind them that is their 'wishes' coming to life.

As the old theory goes, if you believe you will receive, so go ahead and believe hard with all your heart.

11. KISS SOMEONE AT MIDNIGHT
If you are single, fear not... we are not talking about big tongue pashes here because a kiss from a friend, a relative or even a child is just as magical.

Some cultures believe that the purity of a single kiss has the power to trap any evil or negativity around you in the year that has just ticked over, leaving you free of it in the year ahead. So go on... be kissing at the stroke of midnight.

12. SAY THANK YOU
If you live near the ocean or a body of water, on the last day of the year throw a bunch of flowers or petals into the water as a way of saying thank you to the universe for all your blessings and to ask for more good fortune and blessings to be returned to you in the new year.

It is easy to forget all the good stuff that happens when the emotions and angst of fear terror and grief flood you. But the good stuff is there... oh it is SO there.

You know how we as individuals like to be thanked and how when someone shows us they are grateful, we naturally want to do more for them... well the universe works the same way.

End the year focusing on the good that has been and give it all your energy to carry through to the new year.

Right, so it wasn't all that whackety whack was it?

Whatevs.

What about you guys?
Do you have any end of year traditions or rituals that you do?
Are you happy to see 2016 bugger off?