While driving around today I heard a radio program that talked about people’s wierd New Years traditions.  I didn’t get to hear very much of the show. but I did notice that ‘food’ seemed to be involved in many of the  New Years Eve/New Years Day rituals.  Towards the end of the program there seemed to have been a lot of talk about sauerkraut and pork.

This got me to thinking about a couple New Years Day traditions I recall from my own family.  My dad’s mother Georgia, who was originally from Mississippi, was quite the superstitious woman.  When I was a small lad and we walked downtown for instance, we couldn’t split any poles or anything like that.  And if I didn’t stay on her side of the sidewalk to ensure that didn’t happen, I could get into big trouble.

At least one of her New Years traditions that she was really adamant about was the fact that the first person to walk through the front door had to be a male.  Not sure why, but when I was 15 I had the pleasure of being whisked out the back door with instructions to quickly run to and through the front.  That was pretty cool.

My last living Nana (93) has a longstanding one of cooking black-eyed peas.  I called her today and asked her about it.  She didn’t seem to have much of a clue of why but she knew it was important at least back in the day.

I don’t know.  I guess it was somethin’ about good luck or somethin’ or the other (for the year.)

Then in typical Nana fashion she broke it down quite ironically, perhaps questioning her long-lived tradition.

Whatever is going to happen is going to happen anyway; black-eyed peas or not!

“But your still gotta make them right,” I said.

(laughing) You got that right!

Do you have or know of any special or wierd New Years Traditions?

Whatever they are, please enjoy them safely.

May God Bless 2010

pictured Ruth C.   (Nana)