2007 foretold in a shadow

Õnnelikku Uut Aastat! or Joyful New Year, as they say!

In Estonia, it is actually bad form to wish someone Happy New Year when more than seven days of the year have passed. Apparently, on the seventh day, the new year is already old news. Lucky for me, as an American, I can quite blissfully and ignorantly go on wishing everyone a Wonderful 2007 well into this new year.

As many of you know, I am not a huge fan of New Year's Eve celebrations in general... I'd rather take the time to brood a bit about the passing year and the upcoming one, to reflect a bit before jumping forward into the still undisturbed freshness of a new year. It's a kind of annual cleansing, I suppose, and a ritual I enjoy observing at the beginning of each year.

This year, I saw out the passing of the old year in the midst of a crowd of people but also in great company and superb celebration. Not much quiet time for reflection, but I did participate in an Estonian tradition, looking forward into 2007 by interpreting shadows forecast on the wall...

New Year's Future Telling, Estonian-Style


Process:
1) Purchase metal pieces shaped like horseshoes and a metal ladle from the store
2) On New Year's Eve, place one of the pieces in the ladle and melt it over a hot flame.
3) Once melted, throw the metal very quickly into a bowl of cold water. The metal will form a strange shape (see below).
4) Hold strange metal shape up to the light and interpret the shadow that is cast on to the wall. The shape of the shadow will tell you something about your fortune for the next year.

So, my metal ended up looking something like a motorcycle... Vroom! Vroom! I figure this means that my next year will include some sort of significant journey on my bike (or is this a bit of subjective interpretation and wishful thinking?).

Last year I was obsessed with New Year's resolutions and this year I still haven't taken the time to sit down and set them out in my head. I guess perhaps I'll go with the Estonian tradition on this one and say that the new year is already old news... I'll save the lofty resolutions for another time and perhaps take my time, enjoying life, and living out some realistic goals instead!

Happy New Year 2007! May it be more than you ever dreamed... and, however it turn out, may you count every moment as a blessing to be savored and celebrated!