If you're going to create a fake religion based on a kpop group, you had better do it right and also include sacred holidays.
Halazia was a pivotal moment in time for GD and me. It is what led us to begin our "bible study" which sort of evolved into a pseudo religion. And arguably is what led us here, to this little blog. We are devotees of Halazia in ways that are questionable, that border on concerning. But there are certainly worse things to which you can devote yourself.
We were chatting the other day when one of us, I don't even remember who at this point, said that we should do something special for Halazia's upcoming anniversary. We wanted an event that was meaningful and that aligned with our priorities and goals.
For me, it was very important that a Halazia Holiday signified a moment of renewal or rebirth. I'm a big believer in the power of ritual. I have held more than one PC summoning and more than one PC funeral. I felt that Halazia shouldn't just be a yearly holiday but a regular occurrence anytime we feel like we need a restart. But we also felt that the anniversary needed special significance. With all these thoughts in mind, we have come up with a plan for the very first High Halazia.
phase one: release
Halazia dropped on January 30, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. KST (midnight EST), so this first phase takes place at night on the 29th. The purpose of this phase is to let go of past regrets from the year and any worthless annoyances that are weighing us down. It's a time of forgiveness and letting go.
Though there are several ways you can go about this, I'm going to explain my plan and then give you some ideas for how you can modify it to fit your situation.
The first step of the ritual is to set the environment. My plan is to prepare my environment by lighting a candle (which will be housed in a large mixing bowl with at least a couple inches of water; I also plan to be outside because I'm not interested in setting off any smoke detectors) and turning on the "I've seen it, will you?" video at approximately 11:28, (11:28:53 if you want to be very precise). As the video plays, I am going to write out my regrets and frustrations on some paper--probably some scrap sketch paper from all my journaling endeavors. When the final bell in the video tolls at 27:01, I will very safely set my regrets aflame. And then, if my timing is correct, I will watch the Halazia music video right at midnight(ish).
Though you may not want to follow this plan exactly, you can still play along with some modifications. The primary goal of this phase is to identify and release your baggage, set yourself free for the coming year.
Rather than watch the drippy mall video, you can listen to ATEEZ, perhaps a playlist of ATEEZ's holiest songs? Or maybe you have another playlist to get you in the proper reflective mood. Maybe you don't need music at all but the sounds of nature or some kind of white or brown noise.
If you aren't comfortable setting your regrets on fire, perhaps you can wash them instead by soaking them in water until the ink bleeds away. Or you can rip the paper up into small pieces and throw them away (and probably take the trash out immediately so your space is clean). You can also use a paper shredder if you have one. Or bury your regrets in your back yard. The method you choose isn't as important as going through the process.
phase two: regeneration
This next phase begins the next morning. When you wake up, greet your day by setting your new goals for the year. You can write these in your journal, on your notes app or Notion, or wherever you do your planning. You can go with the classic SMART goals, which are goals that are:
Specific
Measurable
Actionable/Achievable
Relevant
Time-Bound
Or you can use a more ATEEZ-centered method and create goals that are inspired by the High Queen Halazia herself. GD came up with this goal-setting method last year by writing out goals that were based on Hongjoong's lyrics in his rap.
Breathe a new breath (goals related to self-care and mental health)
Dance a new dance (goals related to relationships and recreation)
Dream a new dream (goals related to work and future success)
Whatever method you choose, it's important to begin this day with your eye on the long-term and with a positive outlook.
phase three: recreation
For this phase, we're not just thinking about a fun and relaxing activity, but about the idea of re-creating or rebuilding yourself. You need to choose an activity; whether it's a solo experience or one with friends or family doesn't matter. But the activity must be something connected to one of the goals that you set. For instance, if your goal is to read more, your activity can be some quiet reading time that you set aside. Or if your goal is to exercise more, you go for a brisk walk or do some yoga. Perhaps your goal is a long-term project you want to accomplish. In that case, your activity could be the first or next step of that project.
Afterwards, we invite you to end the way you began--with some quiet, reflective journaling and with Halazia.
While I feel that most people actually reading this blog already understand our vibe and intentions, I do think I should address what might be a question some readers may have. And that is, "Why are you being so weird about a kpop song/group?"
Here's the thing: I think it is perfectly fine for a fan to engage with the art they consume in completely shallow ways, i.e. listening to the music or watching the performances and not really thinking about it beyond the surface level of "I like this" or "I don't like this." That's great if that's your thing.
However, for us (and I am speaking for both me and GD here), that's not enough. We like for the content we consume to be meaningful. We enjoy letting our love of ATEEZ and their music enrich our lives. And sometimes that means appearing a little weird and silly to the people who don't get it.
For the rest of us who don't need the disclaimer, may you have a very Blessed High Halazia. We'll be back to tell you how ours went.
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