any New Year's superstitions??

barnyardgal · #1 12/30/09, 10:11 AM

Just wondering if anyone is superstitious?? a few i have heard thru the years are...

1. eat black eyed peas January 1st
2. eat hog jowl on January 1st
3 eat cabbage on January 1st
4. put a dime under your plate
5. bad luck to hang a new calendar before the 1st
6. bad luck to take anything out of the house on New Year's Day
7. many visitors mean many more to come during the year
8. to wash clothes this day means hard work all year
9. a person must do something worthwhile this day or he might "be idle" and "piddle" all year
10.opening all windows of a house for a few minutes just before midnight on New Year's Eve lets the bad luck out and the good luck in for the coming year

these are just a few of ones i can remember......anyone got any more to add??
just think of the bad luck i might have if i did not do these things.....LOL...
naw~i don't do all thse things.....just kidding........

Tim1257 · #2 12/30/09, 10:20 AM

My paternal grandmother was superstitious. I thought washing meant you'll wash your loved ones away. There is also one about sweeping. I'm not sure if you sweep or don't sweep. I'm having blackeyed peas also.

Lada · #3 12/30/09, 10:37 AM

We eat cabbage and black eye peas, but that's about it. I hadn't heard the others. And...I have the new calendar hanging under the current one right now. Eeep.

I also hadn't heard about the washing, but had always heard you weren't supposed to do the wash on Memorial Day. If you decorate your clothes line on Memorial Day, you'll decorate a new grave on the next.

Pakalana · #4 12/30/09, 10:43 AM

Maybe just a little.

The one I grew up with is similar to #8:
"How you spend New Year's Day is how you'll spend the rest of the year."
My Grandpa always made sure to get a little bit of everything in there. LOL A little hard work (cause it never hurt anybody), good food, pleasant company and a little bit of rest.

ronbre · #5 12/30/09, 12:32 PM

oh my goodness..
1. eat black eyed peas January 1st.....i have never eaten a black eyed pea..i'm sunk
2. eat hog jowl on January 1st........also have never eaten a hog jowl..not sure what it is
3 eat cabbage on January 1st.....i'm out of cabbage so need to get to the store..maybe i can find a black eyed pea and a hog jowl?????

4. put a dime under your plate....would a penny do, i don't think i have a dime???

5. bad luck to hang a new calendar before the 1st....thank God, still haven't hung the new one..but did start my new diary as it starts the 28th.

6. bad luck to take anything out of the house on New Year's Day....does that include your purse and shopping list..as i must get to the store Fri as i'm out of a lot of stuff and check comes on the 1st.

7. many visitors mean many more to come during the year..that won't happen.
8. to wash clothes this day means hard work all year.....finishing up laundry today..so i'll be ok with this one..don't want a hard work year !!

9. a person must do something worthwhile this day or he might "be idle" and "piddle" all year...maybe we should have put off cutting up 27 cord of firewood for a few more days ???? nope..gonna get it done today and tomorrow i hope.

10.opening all windows of a house for a few minutes just before midnight on New Year's Eve lets the bad luck out and the good luck in for the coming year
....and i would guess the blizzard in..but maybe i'll go around and let the evil out before i got to bed....(would that be the kitties oggie..i 'll let them out too)

FarmerChick · #6 12/30/09, 12:37 PM

Not a one.

Aohtee · #7 12/30/09, 04:00 PM

Not really a superstition but I have my house clean and organized and ready for a new start on New Years day. Same thing for my office desk. All of last years business is finished and filed away. The only thing I leave on the desktop is my goals for the coming year.

Kmac15 · #8 12/30/09, 04:07 PM

along with the traditional menu of black eyed peas, rice and collards I was never allowed to wash clothes. My mom believes it would mean you will be washing the clothes of a passed loved one before the end of the year.

Helena · #9 12/30/09, 04:36 PM

My mother had a few but if I remember I try to do some of them..just for the fun of it !! 10. a tall dark haired man must enter you house for the first person of the New Year. 2) a shilling in his pocket too ! 3) all you laundry had to washed and ironed 3) all trash cans emptied..and the biggest one..which I have actually been able to do on a few rare years was 4) Have all your bills paid before the New Year rings in !! Grandparents were from Scotland as was my mother so they celebrated New Years actually more than Christmas day. Shortbread and plum pudding too !!

meanwhile · #10 12/30/09, 04:37 PM

1. The Christmas Tree must be out of the house and all decorations stored or it will be bad luck for a whole year. (Yep - my Mom made this one up.)
2. Eat blackeye peas, greens, ham, cornbread for good luck.

ELOCN · #11 12/30/09, 04:48 PM

My great-grandparents were from Scotland. They celebrated New Year (Hogmanay) more than Christmas.

THE FIRST FOOT

It's very important that the first person to enter your home on New Year's Day is a dark-haired man. A red-haired or fair-headed man is bad luck. So is a woman. The first foot should at least bring a lump of coal and some spirits (whisky, etc.) This will bring you luck all year!

manygoatsnmore · #12 12/30/09, 06:02 PM

Well, THAT one's not likely to happen, lol! I'll probably be the first one to enter my home as I have to work the night before and will be coming home in the morning. Anyone want to lend me a tall, dark-haired man? <fluttering my eyelashes madly, lol>

barnyardgal · #13 12/30/09, 06:16 PM

manygoatsnmore~~that was funny....can i borrow the dark haired man after you flutter your eyelashes at him ??? I'll have perfume on.... LOL...i am the only one who will be walking thru my door that day as far as i know.......

hillbillygal · #14 12/30/09, 06:18 PM

We'll do cabbage and black eye peas. I'll probably throw in some sausages and pierogies just for taste!

DianeWV · #15 12/30/09, 06:48 PM

We keep the superstitition of eating cabbage too.

NCLee · #16 12/31/09, 05:43 AM

Growing up .....

We always had to take the Christmas tree down before New Year's Day. It was bad luck to leave it up. (There's truth in this one is that a live tree becomes a fire hazard the longer it stays up.)

Couldn't removes ashes from the wood heater. Never knew the reason for this one.

Couldn't wash clothes. - Same reason as others have given.

Couldn't go anywhere. Was bad luck to leave home that day.

Lee

ELOCN · #17 12/31/09, 02:20 PM

I have also heard the one where you're not supposed to hang or set out new calendars until New Year's Day.

willow_girl · #18 12/31/09, 04:07 PM

"Eat chicken for New Year's and you'll scratch for money all year."

Since I'm a vegetarian I guess I don't have to worry about that. LOL

Emmy D · #19 12/31/09, 04:24 PM

I have done the blackeyed peas and collards (NOT cabbage) for years, but forgot to get them until today and the store was sold out! So I will be having Pinto beans and spinach for my NYD breakfast.

Like Willow girl said, NO chicken or eggs on NYD!

Have the tall dark man covered, my baby bro will be the last one home tonight/tomorrow, he is tall and dark haired. In years past I wouldn't leave the house until my tall dark haired friend Markie arrived for the day, if others arrived before him I would make them wait outside until he entered the house!

However the full moon is tonight so I will have to go out prior to Midnight to place my wallet in the light of the moon to "charge" it up and have more money this month.

Emmy

mnn2501 · #20 12/31/09, 05:09 PM

I have always heard collards not cabbage.