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7 Spiritual Rituals to Observe in the New Year
January 4, 2021
A New Year is waiting in the wings, and the old year is preparing to take a bow and leave the stage. We cannot know what the New Year holds for us, but all of us may want to mark the transition in a memorable way. Some throw a party while some draw up a list of New Year’s resolutions. But there are also other ways to celebrate the New Year in style.
Rituals can be used to make the transition symbolically, and they add more importance to an event. They function as a reminder that we form part of a bigger picture. They can also help us to connect on a deeper level with ourselves as well as our loved ones. Here are some meaningful rituals for celebrating New Year 2021.
Reevaluate the dying year
Most of us focus more on the year that lies ahead when New Year’s Day approaches. But some also think it’s important to review the year that’s ending. Take some time before New Year’s Day to spiritually evaluate 2016. It can be pretty illuminating. What are the things you accomplished during the past year? Remember to honor each of your accomplishments. Also, find out if you deviated from any of your 2020 objectives. Was there something you did in 2020 that you never attempted before? What are the new things that you could learn, and what are the challenges that you encountered? Make a list or a journal entry that includes the top ten events in your life during the past year.
Declutter your life
In Italy, there is a ritual that people observe on the eve of every New Year. They hurl things out of their windows. The reason is that they think it’s important to discard old things that are of no use to them before they embrace new things. Of course, it does not mean that you should literally throw things out into the street. But it is a good idea to set aside one day for getting rid of the things you don’t need anymore. Go through all the stuff in your home and collect the things that you don’t mind parting with, and donate them to your favorite charity.
Invite prosperity into your life
All over the world, many cultures observe certain rituals on New Year’s Day that are believed to avert bad luck and attract good luck. Some people begin the New Year by throwing money through the front door when they first enter their home once the New Year begins. Let’s give that tradition a modern twist. Make your family gather around you, and bless some coins or currency notes together. You can make a formal prayer but, if you’re not the religious type, you can just express your hopes for the year ahead. After the ritual, you can keep the money or donate it to charity. This way, you can spiritually pay it forward.
Meditate on New Year’s Eve
Looking forward to a tranquil New Year’s Eve in your home? Begin the year on a note of peace and harmony by sitting in quiet meditation or silent prayer. Ensure that your meditation time extends beyond midnight. It’s an excellent way to end an old year and begin a new one. You can also invite some friends to your place and do this ritual with them. Another option is to connect with a local group, spiritual organization, or yoga center, and make the arrangements.
Give importance to the first twelve days.
There are many who believe that the first twelve days of the new year represent each of its twelve months. So you can spend the first twelve days of 2021 focusing on your cherished goals and desires for the New Year. For instance, if you are interested in acts of charity, you can volunteer at a center that provides free meals for the poor. Or maybe you want to become more sensitive to issues that affect migrant laborers or refugees. If so, spend a couple of days to learn more about such issues.
Vedic chants for an auspicious new year
Vedic chants or hymns, also called Stotrams, have been used by Hindus to welcome the new year on an auspicious note. One such hymn is the Daridrya Dukha Dahana Stotram. It was composed by the ancient sage, Vasishta, and renders praise to Shiva, who helps eliminate poverty and bestows wealth. This hymn talks of Shiva’s ability to remove sorrows, diseases, poverty, and bless his devotees with abundance. This is one of the rituals that are part of Astroved’s New Year services for cleansing old karma so that you can begin the new year on a clean slate.
Five Priests Pancha Mahapataka Prayaschitta Homa
The Vedic code of conduct describes Pancha Mahapataka as the five broad categories of sins that result in the accumulation of bad karma, which causes suffering. This ritual is performed by five Vedic priests who will follow Vedic protocols on the last day of the departing year. It is believed to cleanse all the bad karma earned by committing sins. This will help us to start the New Year without the baggage of the evil actions we may have committed in 2020. This is also part of AstroVed’s platter of spiritual services for ensuring a happy and prosperous New Year.
Follow one or more of these rituals on this New Year 2021 so that the coming year will be far better than the year before it.
