Kwanzaa- Day 6 and New Year's Eve

The sixth day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to the principle of Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah), which is creativity. I can use my creative energies to build a beautiful and vibrant home and community.

For many people, New Year's Eve is a big night. W and I have no parties to go to or family to celebrate with- and are happy, really, to be alone together tonight. W has to work until after dinner, but then we will show in the New Year with some fun and fanfare. Our plan is to have delectable snacks together, watch a movie on TV, and toast the New Year with champagne at midnight.

Agenda Today:
1. Journal:
What creative ideas do I have to improve my house, my relationships, the school I work at, my faith community, and my neighborhood?

Look at my intentions for the New Year from the perspective of an artist (that is, upside down). What does my crazy wisdom tell me?

2. Ceremony:
I light the first candles, plus the last red candle, and say this affirmation-
I will use my creative talents and energies to aid young minds and hearts, and make my home and community more beautiful and vibrant.

3. Choose my New Year's Resolutions:

I've been thinking about this all week, and this is what I've decided-

In the New Year, I resolve to:

1. Be an Activist; even a shy person can work for change.
2. Be a Painter; do the work of painting every week.

3. Be a Healthy Weight; do the work it takes to reach my goal and stay there.

4. Creativity project- Make an Omamori:
Starting at dawn on New Year’s Day, Japanese people flock to shrines and temples to offer prayers and wishes for the New Year. While there, each person buys a new omamori, a traditional Japanese cloth charm, and returns last year’s omamori to be burned. 

Omamori is Japanese for “honorable protector”. They are most commonly rectangular, and contain a piece of wood or paper inside, with some powerful Shinto or Buddhist words for protection, or health, or luck, or a variety of other specific uses. The cool thing about omamori is that they are personal and portable. You can carry your omamori however feels right to you: It’s common to attach a safety omamori to a backpack to protect a child on the walk to school, or to keep a study omamori in a pencil case, or hold it in a pocket during an exam.

Since I can't buy an omamori at a local temple, I decided to make my own today

Supplies: sturdy fabric, paper for the pattern, scissors, needles and thread, awl (or something else pointing), cord, nice paper for the writing, pen or sumi ink and brush

1- Draw and cut a pattern:  Mine is 2-1/2 by 4-inches. Omamori are usually rectangular with angles at the top.

2- Fold your fabric in half at the bottom edge of the pattern and cut.

3- Turn the fabric inside out (front to front) and sew up the sides, but not the angled top. You can do this by hand or on a machine.

4- Turn the fabric right sides out again and poke out all the corners. 

5- Now you are ready to write your sacred words. Omamori can have a general blessing and protection or it can have specific focus such as:

Kaiun (good luck) 開運

Katsumori (success) 勝守

Koutsuu-anzen (traffic safety) 交通安全
Gakugyou-joujo (education and passing tests) 学業乗除

Shiawase (happiness) 幸せ

Enmusubi (love) 縁結び

I'm not sure what words are usually inside an omamori, so I just wrote the words of the purpose. I chose traffic safety, and I plan to hang my omamori on my bicycle!



6- Once you write out your words, slide them inside. (I put mine in plastic to protect from rain). 

Then finish sewing up the top edges.

7- Omamori are hung by a cord tied with a special Japanese tassel knot. I found this great video tutorial showing how to tie it.





8- Once your knot it tied, poke a hole in the top of your omamori with an awl or something else that's poky.

Front

9- Slide both ends of your cord through the hole so that the tassel knot is resting on the front top

Back

and tie a small square knot on the back to keep it in place. Finished!

5. Make wassail:

The wassail bowl is an old Gaelic tradition still observed in Scotland and Great Britain. The word wassail comes from the Old English wes hál, meaning to be whole, and it was a toast made at medieval feasts to welcome the guests. People would carry a bowl of hot cider or ale outdoors on New Year’s Eve to share with neighbors, and groups of wassailers would go door-to-door singing to get their bowls filled. Tons of different recipes abound, but I like this simple one:

Ingredients:

• 1 quart of hard apple cider (or use non-alcoholic cider)
• 1/4 c. brown sugar (I used less)
• 2 sticks of cinnamon
• 8 cloves
• 8 allspice berries
• apple slices

Yield: 4 servings-

1- Peel and slice the apples, and cut in thirds. Heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds on high, to soften.

2- Combine all ingredients in a pot. Smash the apples to a pulp. Heat just to warm.

3- Strain directly into cups and serve warm. Save the last bit to pour onto an apple tree to ensure next year's crop.

6. Wassail my apple tree:

I really love my apple tree, and so sometime on New Year's eve I will probably slip out to toast it's health, pour some cider on it’s roots, and give it a "Hurra".

"Here’s to thee, old apple-tree,
Whence thou mayst bud, and whence thou mayst blow,
And whence thou mayst bear apples enow!
Hats-full! Caps-full!
Bushel, bushel sacks-full!
And my pockets full, too! Hurra!”

7. Make noise: 

Noise-making is considered an effective way to drive off the spirits of the old year and awaken the sleeping new year. We will gather horns, bells, pots, pans, and whistles, throw open the door at midnight, count down the final seconds of the old year, then let loose with whoops and cheers, bangs and toots, to welcome in the New Year.