I've never been a huge fan of the calendar new year. But I do love nature's new year. It feels more meaningful somehow. Nature at its darkest and quietest, before the light returns.
The winter solstice is also when the ancient Egyptians celebrated their new year. To mark it, they'd give gifts of a lentoid — a small, flattened disk-shaped bottle worn across the body on a strap or carried close. Filled with perfume oil and water from the Nile, often inscribed with 'happy new year.'
The Egyptian god of perfume was also the god of healing. New year perfumes were rich in myrrh, frankincense, rose, and spices. Susinum, a scent of lily, myrrh, and cinnamon, was especially prized because the lily sinks beneath the water each night and rises again with the morning sun.
In the lead-up to solstice, I've been keeping Mitti Attar with me — a traditional Indian perfume made from baked clay distilled into sandalwood oil that smells like parched earth coming back to life. I love this idea of seeding your sensory memory with something that marks renewal.
What would your scent for new beginnings be?
Happy solstice,
Emily
