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Did you grow up with certain customs that had to be adhered to on New Years Day? I did.
I am a fourth generation Floridian. I grew up with traditions that you might think a little odd. Nevertheless, I still practice most of them every year. I mean, why tempt fate--right?
Although fried chicken is still a favorite staple at our house, I grew up never, and I mean NEVER eating chicken on New Years Day. Why, you ask? Well, I'm gonna tell you.
You see, when chickens scratch in the dirt, they scratch backwards. If you eat chicken on New Years Day, that means your entire year will go backwards. Who wants that? Not me!
Bake ham is our staple on New Years Day. When hogs root in the ground, they root forward. Eating pork on this day means your life will move forward for the entire year. Now, there's no guarantee exactly which forward direction your life will go. That's up to you to help it in the best direction possible.
Black-eyed peas represents coins. Who doesn't want a little jingle in their pockets throughout the year? And, of course, flavor the peas with ham hocks for a little extra luck.
For all you folks that don't like collard greens, oh well, you're missing out by not eating them because greens represents paper money to fill your wallet.
Cornbread served up with peas and greens--yummy! Corn is yellow. Yellow represents gold. More money for the piggy jar.
Opening the front door at midnight and leaving it open gets rid of negative energy, and helps begin the year with a fresh outlook on life. I'm long past the age of staying up until midnight. However, I do open the windows in front of the house. I certainly don't want to tempt fate.
No matter what New Year customs you celebrate, I pray you are blessed with good health, fun adventures, a peaceful life, and financial security.
HAPPY 2026
Loretta
Adhering to the old customs gives me a feeling of honoring my family. We grew up with black eyed peas, collards, and cornbread for New Year's, for all the lucky reasons you mentioned. Since I try to stay away from carbs for the most part, it's one of the few times I can heartily enjoy cornbread and peas. I certainly wouldn't want to miss that. Nor would I want to miss the luck involved in keeping the traditions. The happiest of New Year's to you and yours!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I indulge myself on this special occasion. I hope generations after us continues with the old traditions as a way of keeping family history alive.
ReplyDelete