Happy 2019!!! It’s officially the new year!! Can you believe it? Last year seems to have flown by at lightning speed! While I enjoy the peace of my toddler napping, I thought I would share a few of my New Year’s traditions.
Yesterday I spent the day cleaning the house from top to bottom. I think it’s a southern thing, but a clean home represents a fresh new start. This has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. My mother always made sure all Christmas decorations were taken down and put away as well. One thing I can still hear her saying is, “Whatever you’re doing on New Year’s Eve is what you’ll be doing all year!”. I think this is at the top of the list of things my mother always said. This year I choose to spend the evening at home — trading in the turn-up for Puppy Dog Pals with Langston.
Another tradition that I have carried to my little family is cooking black-eyed peas and cabbage. It is believed that in eating these, you will have good luck for the entire year if you have the traditional New Year’s Day supper. The black-eyed peas represent prosperity. There is even a tradition of adding a silver coin to the pot, and the one that gets the coin will have the most prosperous year. This part is one I tend to pass on; I mean thinking of all the places money has been doesn’t seem to be appealing. The cabbage represents the “green,” as in money. Some people do collard greens, this year I decided to do cabbage because it doesn’t take as long to cook. One thing I’ve learned the older I’ve gotten is the tradition of adding pork to all the dishes. The more pig in the dishes the more luck it brings. The pig is a symbol of forward moving, so the more you eat for the New Year, the more prosperous you will be. But if you don’t eat pork no worries the black-eyed beans and “greens” can easily be made without it.
What New Year’s traditions do you observe in your home? I’d love to hear all about them!
