A Ritual to De-Clutter your Life

Jan 14, 2020


Today many Tamil people around the world celebrate a festival called Bhogi. We set aside a day - the day before our harvest festival - to ritualistically let go of things that are not working in our lives.

I am not one for religious rituals in general, but this one strikes a chord. To set aside a day to reflect on what you want in your life...but more importantly, what you want out. Old furniture, clothes that have lost their luster, used books, broken tools. Relationships that are not working. Habits that do not help. Beliefs that are binding you. The clutter in your life. I find it awesome that we set aside a day specifically to inventory them and ritualistically get them out of our lives.


Clutter is not just physical stuff. It’s old ideas, toxic relationships and bad habits. Clutter is anything that does not support your better self
​ -- Eleanor Brownn

​On the day of Bhogi, houses are scrubbed clean, whitewashed, and mopped from corner to corner. As the day dawns, we make huge bonfires in our neighborhoods. Residents come out of their houses, most in their night clothes and bed hair, bearing material things they want to get rid of. We stand around the fire, gossiping, reflecting, and cathartically letting go of the undesired old so we make space for the desired new. The belief is that the universe doesn’t send you new things, new people, habits, and experiences if your life is still clogged with the detritus of the past. So get rid of the old - the saying goes - and welcome the new into your life!

Of course, there is no Indian festival without special food items. For Bhogi, we make crispy deep-fried lentil cakes called vadai, warm crepes stuffed with sweetened coconut flakes and cardomom called poli, and a version of payasam - a sweet pudding made with milk and ghee from a recipe dating 8th century AD.



Bhogi is a day of midwinter cleaning of sorts. It is a time of reflection and accounting of the habits, activities, things, and people you want less of in your life.

This year, as I reflect on what I want less of in my life, the following are some items that bubble up to the top. I want:

  1. Less mindless TV
  2. No Reddit. Yes, I said it. But I need to sacrifice ONE of my time sinks this year
  3. Less beating myself up for mistakes and imperfections
  4. Less being a prisoner to the clock

So off into the Bhogi bonfire they go. 

We think a lot about what we want more of in our lives. My friend wants that pretty red handbag. Another wants to get a PhD. I want to write and publish books. Many want to have more successes in their career. I want, you want, they want. What are you willing to do less of so you get more of what you want? You need to create space so these new things you want can take root in your life. Reflect on that today, and write your own "less of" list. Then symbolically toss it into the Bhogi bonfire.

​Happy Bhogi!
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