Until the whole world started using the Gregorian calendar, nearly every country and/or religion had their own New Year, the term used for the first day of a year. It took some of them a long time to come around, too -- I looked it up and Thailand held out until 1941. And if you think that most of the New Years from those regional calendars fell around this time of year, that's not the case. New Year could land on pretty much any day in any month of any season, depending on whose New Year it was.
I'm feeling like this is a good time for a New Year. And I want to send out some good vibes!
greencraft: new year prayer flag
We usually have at least one Tibetan prayer flag hanging somewhere in the garden. The way it works is prayers of good will to all -- peace, wisdom, strength, love, etc. -- have already been printed on each flag and as the weather disintegrates the cloth, the prayers are carried by the wind out into the world to be fulfilled. Actually, it's quite a bit more involved than this, but you get the idea. They are purposely made of lightweight fabric and usually last about a year for us. This is a way to make a no-cost, more meaningful maybe, prayer flag from stash for the New Year.
items needed: any color lightweight cotton fabric (the older the cloth, the better), paint or markers, cotton string - or - tear & join long narrow strips of fabric, needle & thread
how to: tear fabric into flag strips (about 2"x8") and/or flag squares (any size you'd like but a 6-8" square is a nice size). Decorate with a simple drawing or painting and/or write a few words to convey your prayers, wishes, and hopes for the New Year. Fold the top edge over the string or long strip of fabric and sew, by hand is fine. Then hang in a place exposed to the elements.
I think I will take it slow and spend the next week or so making this. It would also be revealing to make this a family activity to see what emerges. Last night I lit a candle and made my first prayer.
peace is the best prayer. and when it all boils down...its the only prayer, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteStandardization strikes again! :) I think about this a lot actually, how we measure time and why.
ReplyDeleteNandes -- maybe a peace prayer flag instead? Or things that lead the way to peace. I like that.
ReplyDeleteDeb, the time thing. Saw somewhere the words "new time"--thought it was cool. This morning I noticed my alarm clock was dead -- I was hoping for something more exciting than new batteries or a new clock!
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