Indigenous Roots of New Year’s Celebrations
As someone interested in psychedelic medicine, I’m sure you can appreciate that I believe time is made up. In which case, I don’t completely give in to aligning resolutions or goals with what could be just a made up calendar. However, I do deeply align with traditions that are centered in the natural cycles of our Earth! And although it’s clear that consumerism has a choke hold on holidays like New Year’s Eve, these traditions are actually rooted in truth from Mother Nature’s cycles.
If you haven’t noticed, Christmas always falls close to the Winter Solstice on our calendars - usually just a few days off. There are many tales about Christmas really coming from ancient traditions rooted in celebrating the Winter Solstice. Heck, there is even some evidence that Indigenous mushroom shamanism might be the origin of this holiday! And there always tends to be a sort of “in between” time after Christmas and before New Year’s. People take time off of work, many are traveling, a lot of shops are closed. And even those who aren’t taking time off of work really don’t have much to do at their jobs!
Pre-Christian Romans would use this time between the winter solstice and what we know today as “January 1st” to celebrate something known as Saturnalia, honoring their God of agricultural bounty as they set intentions for abundant food supply. In many Indigenous traditions, this period of time is seen as a sort of energetic holding space. Our bodies are asking us to pause, to rest, to take time to celebrate life, and to prepare for what is to come! This time is the sun’s return to the Earth, bringing in light as our nights transition to shorter ones and our days become longer.
The Aymara and Quechua people of the Peruvian Andes (traditional holders of San Pedro or Huauchuma medicine - a native cactus containing the psychedelic substance mescaline) invest their time and energy during this transition celebrating the sun. They call this time “Machaq Mara,” meaning “division of the year.” During this time, they offer gifts to Mother Earth, asking for an abundant supply of food and goods for the season like the Ancient Romans. They also have dancing rituals led by spiritual leaders in the community and cleanse sacred items that are old, asking for renewal as the sun meets the Earth again. Similar to our rituals of letting go of things we want to leave behind as we step into the New Year (likely partying) with goals and intentions!
The Vikings celebrated something known as the 12 days of Yuletide starting on the Winter Solstice. There is typically a 12-15 day period between the Winter Solstice and a significant point in the next moon cycle. For example, we just had our Winter Solstice on December 21st and we will have a full moon at the end of this week. Could this be what the Yule was referring to? Some who celebrated the 12 days of Yuletide believed that this period of time was an opportunity to set up our next year - that each day is a preview as to what the next 12 moon cycles (27-28 days) would look like.
I take note of this time by meditating and journaling every day - not only paying attention to what happens to me, but especially to how I emotionally respond to the events of these days. Although it’s said that these 12-15 days can “show you your future,” I believe that as conscious individuals with free will, we have complete control over what happens to us. We are in direct charge of how our future unfolds. So, I use this time to intentionally set up the direction I want my year to move in. Because I know that the way my year will look is completely up to me and my actions.
Some might call me a hippy for rejecting the notion of New Year’s Resolutions and setting up my own way of navigating intentions for the upcoming months, but I really enjoy finding the Native roots of modern day holidays and honoring them in how I show up for celebrations in our modern society. Psychedelics have reconnected me with the natural biorhythms of my body and Earth’s orbital flow. These are just some ways I found to honor that around the time the modern man calls “January.”
