The researcher Bogar Escobar Hernández indicated that around 80 percent of the population carries out some of the various New Year's rituals due to the need to acquire hope. Our friends from ActitudFem share this information with us. In an interview with Notimex, the doctor in social anthropology added that among the most prominent and well-known rituals are, for example, "people who usually sweep or clean their homes on the last day of the year, with the intention of warding off bad vibes and bad luck." The academic from the University Center for Social Sciences and Humanities of the University of Guadalajara (UdeG) added that there are people who usually "prepare suitcases with clothes, as it is supposed that this will attract many trips during the next year." He noted that other people "buy or gift intimate clothing, for example, red is to attract love and yellow is for money." He mentioned that there are those who usually at the 12 chimes of the New Year "eat a grape for each chime to attract health, happiness, money, etc." More than the descriptive aspect of these rituals, what is most relevant is what lies behind these practices, as this symbolism indicates that humans attempt to exorcise their fears, and this is just one more way among many others we try to do so." He emphasized that especially in contexts of economic, social, or spiritual crises "these practices are reactivated because humans live in uncertainty; even our own life is fortuitous and uncertain." "We carry out rituals through which we try to attract favorable things such as money, health, love, etc., and exorcise them through practices in which there is no rationality; it is basically a belief that is part of the cultural and spiritual baggage of humans," he stated. The specialist expressed that these beliefs are part of human nature. He highlighted that a large percentage of the population engages in this type of ritual, "around 80 percent, since despite being in the 21st century, humans, their genes, and their ancestral traits persist; the only difference is that within this percentage, there may be people who recognize it more and others who simulate it more due to their social or cultural level." He stressed that even though these desires do not materialize, people maintain their beliefs in these rituals, "it's like the lottery; only one wins the jackpot, and the vast majority get nothing, yet thousands of tickets are sold every day and every week." He pointed out that when these practices are carried out, "what is actually done is to acquire hope, and when a human wants to believe something, even if others see the opposite, he will continue his belief, and he will modify all signals in favor of it and will discard those that tend to nullify that belief." Humans should have more confidence in themselves and not get sidetracked by external acts or practices with which they basically try to exorcise their fears, which in a way gives them a certain level of comfort, security, and hope, but that only speaks of a crisis of spiritual and intellectual strength," he concluded. View original article

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