When Amy and her family sold their house and were moving from Toronto to Montreal, a friend gifted her family a house cooling ceremony in the Be Ceremonial app to say goodbye to their home and this chapter in their lives.
Saying Goodbye to a Home
Leading up to our move from Toronto to Montreal, I was talking to my friend Lisa about how I was feeling and she suggested we do a ceremony to say goodbye to our home.
She gifted us a house cooling ceremony from the app and I have to admit that my husband and I were a bit skeptical at first. This was new to us, and as went through the ritual options we weren’t sure what to pick. We decided to keep it simple and focus on the rituals connected to storytelling.
We wanted to pay tribute to our home and all the memories and experiences we’ve had there, both as a family and with our neighbours.
In the end, everyone was super happy that we did this and really enjoyed the experience.
Choose Your Own Rituals
I really liked that the Be Ceremonial app was modular and I could pick and choose the options that felt right to me. I also liked that I got a full schedule of what to bring and how to move through the ceremony.
It was tricky to coordinate schedules and plan the activities, but we managed to create a meaningful ceremony to say goodbye to our Toronto home. We invited our neighbours to be a part of it, which was so special. There were lots of young kids present so I wanted to choose rituals that were simple and meaningful for all ages.
I opened the ceremony by lighting a candle and letting everyone know what a house cooling ceremony is and why we are doing this. I asked everyone to share a favourite memory of this home – inside or outside – as our two families have spent a lot of time together, hosting dinner parties, hanging out in the back patio, or watching the kids playing on the lawn.
After that, we had takeout pizza dinner on the floor since the furniture had already been moved out. We continued to share stories of our time at our home.
Before dessert, I brought a bowl of water to the middle of the floor and handed out pennies. One by one we put our wishes in for the future. To close, we all blew out the candle together, then went to the front lawn to take a few selfies with our instamax camera to remember the day.
It was so wonderful. I loved that we shared our memories before dinner as it encouraged us to keep sharing over dinner.
Our House Cooling Ceremony
My son, who is 12 years old, had been very stoic leading up to the move. After the ceremony, he cried for the first time, even though he had known about the move for months.
I really think we needed this opportunity to reflect and pause and truly digest what’s been happening. It was so important for us to honour what once was, and find closure as we said goodbye to our time in Toronto.
I appreciated that the app gave me the guidance to create a ceremony that felt like us.
Learn how to create your own house cooling ceremony and other rites of passage and moments of change we face with the Be Ceremonial app. It’s free to download and explore, or you can become a member and create unlimited ceremonies, including gifting ceremonies to others. Learn more
