New Years Day Food Traditions
Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by hog jowls or ham, either one. The Southern States like Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, will always have the full blown full southern soul dinner or supper just steaming with money and luck.
ham / hog jowls
cabbage / collard greens / mustard greens / kale
sometimes white rice and brown gravy
raw sliced onions
and always cornbread!
Some nice cracklin' cornbread would be fantastic!
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New Years Food Traditions around the world
Traditional New Year foods are thought to bring good luck.
- Collard greens are considenavy lucky because they are green, like greenbacks -- money!
- Eating cornbread in the South will bring wealth.
- Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.
- Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures.
- The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity.
- Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency.
- In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.
- Lucky New Year Food in Greece - The Greek tradition of eating Vasilopita (a cake baked with a coin inside) originated from the famously high taxes that the Ottoman Empire imposed on the Greek people during the long Ottoman reign. Saint Basil asked the women to bake a large cake with the valuables inside. When he sliced the cake, the valuables miraculously found their way back to their rightful owners! Today, a cake is baked in honor of this miracle and one coin is baked inside of it. The person who bites into his piece of cake and finds the coin will be blessed with good luck in the coming New Year.
- Lucky New Year Food in Italy - The Italian people eat a traditional New Year dish called cotechino con lenticchie: pork sausage served over lentils. This New Year food is eaten because of the presence of fatty rich pork sausage and lentils in it. Cotechino sausage is a symbol of abundance because they are rich in fat; while lentils symbolize money (being both green and coin shaped).
- Spanish / Cuban people have brought in the New Year by eating 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight. The 12 grapes signify the last twelve months of the year.
- Champagne: The Universal drink for toasting the New Year.
- Eating noodles at midnight is customary at Buddhist temples in Japan.
- A German/Pennsylvania Dutch tradition is to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Year's day for good luck.
- It is the tradition of Bosnia & Croatia (both of former Yugoslavia) to eat what is called "Sarma" or beef wrapped tightly in cabbage to bring good luck in health and wealth for the upcoming year.
- German folklore says that eating herring at the stroke of midnight will bring luck for the next year.
- Eating pickled herring as the first bite of the New Year brings good luck to those of Polish descent.
- In the Philippines, it is important to have food on the table at midnight in order to insure an abundance of food in the upcoming year.
- Boiled Cod is a New Year's Eve must in Denmark.
- Olie Bollen is a donut-like fritter that is popular in Holland for New Year. Olie Bollen are small round Dutch doughnuts that are traditional to serve on New Year's Eve. The name of these tasty treats literally translates to "oil balls." Olie Bollen are delicious. The Dutch regularly stud their Olie Bollen dough with raisins, currants or even finely diced apples.
- Black-eyed peas, fish, apples, and beets are eaten for luck at the Jewish New Year's celebration (not celebrated on Jan 1).
- Another tradition from the Philippines is to collect 7 different types of round fruits. The round shapre of the fruits signify money and seven is believed to be a lucky number. Set on the dinner table on New Year's eve, the fruits are believed to bring prosperity and sound financial status for the coming year.
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More January Holidays
The Month of January is : National Oatmeal Month, Book Blitz Month, Celebration of Life Month, Cervical Cancer Screening Month, Family Fit Lifestyle Month, Financial Fitness Month, International Creativity Month, International Life Balance Month, Jump Out of Bed Month, National Be-on-purpose Month, National Clean Up Your Computer Month, National Get Organized Month, National Glaucoma Awareness Month, National Mentoring Month, National Poverty Awareness in America Month, National Returns Month.
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