In my family, it was tradition to spend the week clearing out the old. Some of you may have grown up with Boxing Day, when clothing and other stuff was sorted and given to the needy. That's an old English tradition. My mother mostly had us sorting, putting away, and getting everything spiffied up into sparkling near-perfection. German superstition said that anything left languishing would follow us into the new year, so all laundry, leftovers, and unfinished filing had to be handled that last week or else, and it must be done before New Year's Day! Be sure the larder is full or you'll have lack all the next year, too!
What about you? Are there any year-end traditions you follow to start off on the right foot in the new year? What about superstitions and fortuitous good luck charms? Do you always eat black-eyed peas or sauerkraut for good luck? What's the craziest tradition you've heard of? Share with us your memories, thoughts, and ideas.
13 comments:
We always eat cabbage, pork and black-eyed peas for New Year's Day. It's supposed to bring health, plenty and good luck in the new year.
The craziest tradition I've ever heard of is that New Year's Day was the day the plantation masters in the American South informed their slaves who was being sold off. Not funny-crazy, but plenty crazy.
Marian Allen
I'll be making lentils to share with family and friends in the Italian tradition.
We always had red cabbage in my German family. They ate a lot of pork, too, but I prefer rouladen (spicy beef rolls) with potatoes and gravy. Hubbs always had black-eyed peas for good luck in his family tradition, so we added that. I'm not sure how much luck our menu promotes, but gas is definitely guaranteed! Maybe we'll add lentils, too, and really bomb into the new year! LOL.
LOL...Rana wished me Happy Boxing day yesterday...I thought she was referring to the new orders that came in on Christmas Day!!! Yes, those got boxed up and mailed! Happy Boxing Day to all of you!
Oh, no, Katy! That holiday probably strikes fear into your heart. LOL.
During the New Years weekend, we usually do a family hike and have a family work day in our backyard/garden. We also open a sealed envelope of goals that were written down the year before. ~ Land
My grandmother believed you had to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's for good luck during the coming year. I always fix Hoppin' John, which is made with black-eyed peas, ham hock or bacon, onions, rice, Worcestershire sauce and salt to taste.
Land, I love the sealed envelope idea! Sort of like a time capsule. We always do "head, heart, and hand" programming on New Year's Day and it's fun to read the previous year's essay. It always amazes me how challenges and goals shift.
Now that we're vegetarian at home, I'll have to think of a new tradition to replace the pork. I'm thinking sliced water chestnuts to represent coins. :)
Marian Allen
That's a cool idea Marian - or carrots maybe? I have a great pot-o-gold recipe that's carrots in a horseradish sauce. Sounds gross but it's really very good.
New year's resolutions and black-eyed peas are family traditions we have carried forth. Never much cared for black-eyed peas so wonder from where that tradition of their bringing good luck came.
Monti (still can't get on my own computer!)
There were many traditions in my family. The usual pork and sauerkraut meal of course. We were all required to have money in our hands at the stroke of midnight. This was supposed to guarantee that you would always have money in the coming year. The other odd tradition was that the first person to cross the threshold had to be a dark haired man. That required some advance planning!
Jude, I like the money in the hand at midnight idea. I haven't heard that one. It sounds European though. I still like the Spanish custom of wearing yellow unders for prosperity the best. LOL.
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