I don’t consider myself to be that superstitious. Yet, if I should see a black cat cross my path, I have been known to scurry in the other direction.
And when our family’s beloved New Orleans Saints are playing, it does seem they play better and/or win when I am napping. I start out watching the game but usually end up falling asleep midway through. On those occasions I’ve stayed alert for the entire game, I have seen them lose the game. A lot over the 33 years I’ve been watching them. So I’m surprised that I was awake when they won the coveted Super Bowl trophy some years ago.
When it comes to New Year’s Day traditions, I have been known to partake in the traditional foods — especially if someone else has prepared it. Two foods, in particular, come to mind. Black-eyed peas are not on my list of favorite foods, and I’ve tried numerous times over the years to eat those slimy greens, but they just won’t seem to go down.
Seems there are many traditions or superstitions that revolve around food. In Spain, they believe if you eat 12 grapes at midnight — one for every month — it will bring you luck in the year ahead.
Don’t eat chicken on New Year’s Day. It’s bad luck. It is said that all your luck could fly away.
With the year we’ve all experienced, I’ve seen quite a few posts on Facebook about ushering 2020 out the door. I’ve never heard of doing this before, but we are supposed to stand at our door just before midnight and open it to allow the old year to go out and the new year to come in. I’m game — provided that I’m still awake.
Another quirky one is filling your cupboards. It’s considered bad luck to start the new year with empty cupboards (signaling poverty and hardship). And besides, with the pandemic and mad rush for groceries we’ve had this year, it couldn’t hurt to keep your pantry stocked.
Here’s one I can get behind: Don’t sweep, clean or do laundry. You could sweep/wash away your luck.
Seems to me that most of these traditions or superstitions suggest that how you spend your New Year’s Day is how you will spend the rest of the year. I don’t know about that, but I do know that eating a few black-eyed peas and some greens won’t hurt me, and if I can manage to stay awake I’ll definitely open the door at midnight to let the new year in. Couldn’t hurt.
I know this. I don’t think of myself as lucky. I am blessed. Happy 2021, everyone.
