Growing up down in Lower Alabama, my parents' house had only three New Year's superstitions which I remember well: you had to eat black-eyed peas, cabbage, and hog-jaw; you didn't sweep; you didn't do laundry. The food one is a big one in the South. I imagine more black-eyed peas are eaten on New Year's than any other day in the year. And, though it has been watered down in most places to only be black-eyed peas [maybe with a penny cooked in for pecuniary-luck], where I come from it is a whole meal: peas, greens, and hog. The cleaning one seemed a little non-precise. Laundry was out. Sweeping was out. Washing dishes was ok. Wiping down things was ok.
Since moving out, I have worked out a few variations on my own. Peas and greens I keep, but since I don't do pork I try and work in at least one other rich-dish. Kaz and I eschew cleaning of any form: no dishes, no laundry, no vacuuming, no sweeping, no wiping-down. We make perhaps the biggest deal about do-as-you-want-to-do-for-the-rest-of-the-year. We try to do a little bit of everything we want to do for the rest of the year. You eat good food. You rest up. You read books. You watch fun movies. You chat with loved ones. You make love. You go for walks. You play with pets. You imbue the year with good vibes. Oh, and we try and kiss at midnight. And by try, I mean no matter where I am Sarah will find me and wrestle at least one kiss out of me.
That is about it for our household, but I thought it was fun to look up other New Year's traditions/superstitions (via Snopes.com) and see which ones we skip. How about you? Which ones do you do or avoid?
Some favorites from that article include:
- Stocking Up and Paying off Bills: Looks like most take that "first-as-the-rest" a step further and try and make sure the pantries are full and the debt is low so that the tone for the whole year is set.
- First Footing: One we never practiced, but the idea is the first person to set foot in your house sets the mood for the whole year. Tall, dark men [with money?] are great. Red-headed or blonde women are bad.
- Nothing Goes Out: Related to the no-cleaning one, nothing leaves the door. At least, nothing leaves before something comes in.
You might notice I am blogging, again, after a month-plus absence. That's on purpose. I needed a break, for reasons that will show up in about three posts down the road, but am ready to get back into it. Happy 2015, everyone.
OTHER BLOTS THIS MONTH: January 2015