New years traditions?

Some people say opening windows and doors before midnight to let the old year out and new year in is good luck, eating black eyed peas brings money and good fortunes, noise scared away eveil for the new year, washing laundry new years day means someone close to you will die and so on. So what is your new years superstitions?

We always have cabbage in some form. Like black eye peas, it's supposed to bring wealth. In that vein, we usually have dinner at my sister's and she makes "Halushka", a recipe my bro-in-law brought with him from Pennsylvania. It's cabbage leaves stuffed with a beef and rice mixture.

One year we were at her house for New Year's Eve playing card games. At midnight someone brought out a jar of sauerkraut and we all ate straight from the jar.

Chinese food! Although since I got married I've been spending it with my in-laws and my brother in-law and father in-law don't eat it, so I'm not sure if we'll be doing that (THE HORROR!)

Aside from probably not having chinese, my wife and mother in-law are game addicts so we'll probably play Uno, Phase 10 or something like that. Then around 10:00 or so we can see fireworks from their house while we freeze to death in the driveway

We never eat chicken on New Year's day because they scratch backwards and if you eat it you'll go backwards instead of forwards in the new year I didn't make it up

Originally Posted by katiemae1277

We never eat chicken on New Year's day because they scratch backwards and if you eat it you'll go backwards instead of forwards in the new year

I didn't make it up

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*lol* Never heard of that. So I guess I shouldn't eat pork so I don't have a sloppy and messy 2007

Originally Posted by ReesesPBC

*lol* Never heard of that. So I guess I shouldn't eat pork so I don't have a sloppy and messy 2007

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Hmmm, we always eat pork, maybe THAT'S what my problem has been all these years

In the UK you have to have a "dark-haired man " to open your door 1st after midnight, he must have a piece of coal to take into the house and then he throws some greenry out of the house - like some holly or a small pine branch - I dont know why, never asked, so its probably a load of old hogwash

Originally Posted by mooficat

In the UK you have to have a "dark-haired man " to open your door 1st after midnight, he must have a piece of coal to take into the house and then he throws some greenry out of the house - like some holly or a small pine branch - I dont know why, never asked, so its probably a load of old hogwash

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We do the dark haired man thing! But the dark haired man has to leave the house through the back door and come to through the front door, carrying bread (for food), a coin (for wealth) and something else I can't remember!

Originally Posted by mooficat

In the UK you have to have a "dark-haired man " to open your door 1st after midnight, he must have a piece of coal to take into the house and then he throws some greenry out of the house - like some holly or a small pine branch - I dont know why, never asked, so its probably a load of old hogwash

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Sounds like a good tradition...or atleast an excuse to throw the christmas tree out the front door

theses are not superstitions just little rituals. we will eat an early dinner with a best friends couple ( we are introverts) at a very posh place, everyone ordering something different so we can share. At home alone we have champagne or asti spumante and make a very special point of going to bed well before midnight for ... well... a nice adult time... and then we talk about cool things we have done together in the past year.

now the jewish new year in the fall is when we make resolutions and reflect on change and getting things right. Secular New Year is just a lovey time.

This is what we do in the South where I live

Black eye peas with hog jowel
cabbage with corn beef

We cook other stuff to go with that, but we always hafta have the first two things.

I really don't have superstitions, I just like to watch the ball drop in Times Square. I've done that since I was young. I don't ever remember missing a year.
If I can't watch it that night, I tape it so I can see it the next day. I just don't feel right if I don't see it go down. I'm not sure why.

Spanish people eat 12 grapes before Midnight. We never finish on time, but it's fun trying to eat the grapes before midnight. (we eat the grapes for good luck)

oh yep was busy thinking about British trads.
Those 12 grapes are really hard to do, you are supposed to eat one for every chime - 12 and for each one you eat that beings you the luck for the number of months........so if you eat three, you only get three months luck I´ve only every managed 7.......they usually have pips in which makes it even harder

Hubby and I always make sure to go to bed before midnight and *spend some quality time together as midnight hits*
other than that, I call my Mom and Sisters to wish them a happy New Year right after hubby and I are done.

We usually have a pork roast mashed potatos and gravy, corn and rolls for dinner on New Years Day. Growing up my brother sister and I would have a party with pizza, snacks, and about 50 popers and 4 bags of confetti. We would have a HUGE mess then clean it up before our parents got home at about 130. It was soo much fun!!