what are some of yours?? I have southern friends that always make sure to eay black eye peas.

How about not doing laundry on NYD -- if you do, you will have to do laundry all year.

My Greek in-laws always put some money on the outside window sill to attract money for the coming year. I had this vision of the idea getting started back in some village so a thief could come along and scoop up all the coins.

Also the whole house was thoroughly cleaned and incense burned in every room to cleanse the evil thoughts from the past year

Mim

I always and so does my family make cabbage on New Years fried,Cooked or any other way they like it been doing for many,many years

In Tn it's not only black eyed peas but hog's jowl (kind of a thick rough cut bacon) it how I descibe it.

My grandma always said that if your house was dirty on New Years Eve, it would be dirty all year. Also, What you do on New Years Day is what you will be doing most of in the new year. I'm gonna do some quilting for sure!!

Black Eyed Peas. Came from my Husbands Southern roots.

As a kid we had blackeyed peas, collard green and a piece of the hog (mostly pig feet or chit'lings). Also, New Year's Eve, everything had to be clean, the house and clothes washed,dried and put away. And the first person to step over the threshold had to be a male. So on new year's eve, the men in the neighborhood (after shooting their guns) would go from house to house. Yes, I have strong southern roots and yes, I still believe

First footing, from my mother's Scottish roots. We had a piece of coal kept for the sole purpose of a handsome dark-haired man (my brother!) bringing it into the house after midnight.
Annie

Interseting, all of them

Its a southern thing, being from Va originally I have to make it Smithfield ham and black eye peas, mine are already waiting for 1/1/2011 :-D

From VA now in TN - same for me

and how right she was! lol

I don't think my family had any.

We always have pork and saurkraut. Mmmmmm

You have to have black-eyed peas and hog jowl with collard greens. This is for good luck in the New Year. Another one is that Christmas decoratons have to be down by the New Year.

Pork Roast and cabbage to clean your system out for a good start for the new year. Grew up in PA.

we have that meal too but I always thought that was just something my DH family did....

My mom fixes lentils (YUKYUKDOUBLEYUK) for prosperity in the new year.

Ok, I moved to PA 15 years ago and always wondered WHY they ate pork roast and cabbage! LOL My friend also does saurkraut with dumplings. I learned something new!

I've believeD in the clean house at the New Year thing.

I've also heard that WHAT you are doing at midnight is WHAT you'll be doing the rest of the year!
wink!wink!wink! :)

We always have the black eyed peas. The more you eat of them the more prospersous you will be in the coming year.
Also what ever you do the most of on NY day you will do this all years.

Are they German too?

Cabbage or some sort of green veggie. Cabbage fried in butter and put over buttered noodles, with a lot of black pepper. Yummy.

Burp!!!!

Throw some cabbage in there for wealth and this is what I do too!

We have fried cabbage,blackeyed peas,pork and corn bread.My mil puts a dime in her boiled cabbage for wealth.

Cute posts!! I can't think of any for New Year's :(

Your're right, I forgot about that one.

originally from PA too. Always had pork and saurkraut and pickled herring. We put a dime on the windowsill, and then carried it all year for good luck and prosperity.

Interesting. Never had any. I'm always doing laundry any ways and my house is always untidy......

I'm a northern girl that has married a southerner.
black eyed peas for happiness
collard greens for prosperity
white rice for peace
and corn bread and ham. Also, we do not do laundry on New Years day because you can wash someone's soul away.

Eating 12 grapes at midnight. I was never fast enough.

OMG!!! We did too, and still do.....where in Cleveland are you, i grew up there on the east side.

Must be a lot of Southerners on this board. It is black-eyed peas with Ham & cornbread for me also. This is the only time I ever eat black-eyed peas, I don't like them, but my husband loves them. I only eat them because of tradition.

I've also heard that WHAT you are doing at midnight is WHAT you'll be doing the rest of the year!
wink!wink!wink! :)[/quote]

..........something tells me I am going to have a headache...........

I have always heard Whatever you do on New Years day thats what you will do the rest of the year, hmmmm, quilters??

also the blackeyed peas, collards,(or cabbage) ham or other parts of pork were to bring luck to the house, another is if a man enters first of the year happiness and content
a woman, brings love

I also heard about christmas decorations, but my (Quaker,amish) said leave up till Jan 6(Old Christmas)

I forgot another, (sistadebbra, thanks for the reminder) everything had to be cleaned before New Years, also no washing the linen till after New Years, and for the life of me I don't understand that one!

Isn't it amazing what old superstitions come about,

well what about the other part of the country?

We have pork and the christmas decorations stay up until Jan.6th.

I was raised with the tradition that you had to have your house clean on New Year's Day - because if you didn't, you house would be dirty all year. We also believed in the "First Foot," a British tradition. If a dark haired man carrying a 'bottle' (of booze) was the first person to cross your threshold on New Year's Day you would have good luck all year. No longer observe either since both parents passed many years ago. Now the only tradition we observe is to eat black eyed peas on New Year's Day to bring good luck for the year. I usually make Hoppin John with black eyed peas on New Years.

My Grandmother that raised me always cooked cabbage, she said you had to eat cabbage to have money all year.We didn't like it then but she would make us (my brother and I) eat a little any way. Now I like it and I always make a big pot of cabbage rolls every New Years day.

Among those mentioned my mother always placed a basin with some silver coins in water. This she had us wash our faces with some coins and water. We were told it would bring us wealth. Well it depends on how one sees wealth; could mean family, health, happiness, friends (you can add to this).
Happy and Blessed New Year everyone.

Never eat any kind of fowl on NYD (chicken, goose, duck, turkey, etc) or you'll be scratching for money the rest of the year! I've drilled this into my kids heads since they were little. Am I superstitious? You betcha!!!

My Grandmother believed that you had to roll a head of cabbage all thru the house, which would bring one money, we had blackeyed peas, cornbread, ham hocks, fried cabbage, and onion. This was to remind us of our hertage.