Happy New Year everyone! Some of us are celebrating earlier than others and then some of us (me) will be celebrating before midnight US- Tennessee time. I just don't do the stay up that late thing anymore. So I'll just be snuggled into my warm bed all safe and cozy.
Elle...I had heard of those customs. I think here we all just watch things slide down a pole to count down to midnight. (In New York, it is a huge crystal ball made by Tiffany, in Memphis, TN, its a huge guitar, and so on) Then lots and lots of people get drunk and act a fool, then spend the 1st day of the New Year nursing a massive hang over. LOL!
Actually there are some traditions. We apply meaning to the 1st big meal of the New Year. It is regional..like most other things, but here in the southeast US..we eat Turnip greens (to gain wealth in the New Year), black-eyed peas (for good luck in the New Year), Ham (I have NO idea why we eat that) and cornbread (no idea on this one either). All I know is that my family missed 1 year of eating black eyed peas---that year, our house burned..we rented a house boat for vacation-that caught on fire and burned too, and something else bad happened that year, I can't remember what it was..but it was bad...we have never missed the peas since though!
Happy New Year everybody!