New Year's Eve Food Superstitions?
Does anyone have traditions regarding New Year's Eve foods to bring luck in the new year? My ex-husband used to make me eat pickled herring at midnight on NYE, and my friend from Kentucky always eats black eyed peas for money in the new year. I find it fascinating and would love to hear about other beliefs and traditions out there. It would also be fun (though perhaps potentially nauseating!) to have a buffet of these foods for a NYE party.
By BeckyAndTheBeanstock
on Dec 28, 2008 12:33 PM
View »
Video
For us in Atlanta, it was New Year's Day not Eve and the black-eyed peas are for luck and the greens are for wealth. I think "hog jowls" were for health. My mother did a nice pork roast in place of the jowls.
Permalink | Reply
Actually it is that way in KY too....black eyed peas for luck, greens for wealth,hog jowl or pork chops for health....for New Years Day.
Permalink | Reply
All of my Spanish friends eat 12 grapes on NYE to secure twelve months of happiness for the coming year.
Permalink | Reply
Many cultures eat round things (continuity of life). Filipinos eat the 12 grapes, round cheese (with round rolls), etc. Jews eat hard boiled eggs, round bread, and round balls of dough (though more for jewish new year than the gregorian new year) Japanese eat mochi. On the other hand, many other cultures eat long things (long life), esp. long noodles, which have to be eaten unbroken.
It seems like an important question when combining things from different cultures, though, is whether there's anything that's particularly *unlucky* to eat in the New Year! (It would be ironic if one culture's lucky food is a detrimental omen in another culture) For jews, it's vinegar-- I'm not sure of any others!
Permalink | Reply