New Year's Traditions

Maybe it is a Southern thing, but for as long as I can remember I have eaten black eyed peas and cabbage on New Year's Day.  This year we will have them for New Year's Eve as well.

Why you ask?  Well it is a family tradition where I came from.  And I love following a family tradition. It is what carries a family from one generation to the next.

For those of us in the southern United States, it is very common to be offered a generous helping of black-eyed peas or cabbage on New Year's Day.  And some folks eat it just after midnight on New Year's Eve.
According to Southern folklore, black-eyed peas are supposed to be the first thing you eat on New Year's Day in order to ensure good luck and prosperity throughout the coming year. Cabbage is supposed to represent money.
Even people who do not typically care for black-eyed peas or cabbage will at least eat a spoonful or a bite or two just to ensure good luck for the New Year. Who wants to chance it, right? 

Now do I truly believe this?  Not at all, but like I said it is a tradition so I keep it going. 
Plus it is fun to have a tradition.  And frankly if you know how to cook black eyed peas and cabbage they are just GOOD!!!!

It is believed that this New Year's practice started around the time of the Civil War. Black-eyed peas were first planted as food for livestock, but later became a staple for Southerners, particularly slaves.
General Sherman’s Union troops destroyed or stole all the other crops from the Confederates, but left behind the black-eyed peas thinking they were only suitable as livestock food. This made the black-eyed pea an important source of nourishment for the surviving Confederates.

There are numerous beliefs about what the black-eyed peas represent and what they should be eaten with to ensure the prosperity and good fortune.

All I know is we always eat them with cabbage and cornbread. 

And we always cook both the black eyed peas and cabbage with ham, hamhock, a ham bone with some meat on it or salt jawl/pork jawl.  It gives such a wonderful flavor.

Black eyed peas are

All I know is we always eat black eyed peas with cabbage and cornbread!  This year we are cooking a pork loin to go with them.

We always cook both with a ham bone, ham or salt jowl/pork jowl.  It gives a wonderful flavor to both black eyed peas and cabbage!  Many recipes call for bell pepper with black eyed peas.  And some with both bell pepper and stewed tomatoes.  We pass on the tomatoes, but do cook them with onion and bell pepper.  And since we had a ham on Thanksgiving I have a lovely ham bone to toss in with my traditions.
So that is why we eat black eyed peas and cabbage.  And a few ways to cook them.  The internet is full of recipes for both.

What New Year's traditions do you participate in?  I would love to hear!  Do you go out on New Year's Eve?  Or stay in?  How do you entertain your little ones? Do you watch the ball drop on the tube? Or is this just another night?

We are staying in and will continue our Downton Abbey marathon of season 1 in anticipation of season 2 starting January 8th.  Who needs to go out partying when you have good food and a good British series that is set during the Edwardian era!!!!  The boys enjoy it too!  We'll let them stay up a little later, but we never make it to midnight. "IF" we make it to midnight we have horns and poppers. In fact with the party going on next door this evening we will never get to sleep! Maybe I will let the boys go outside and scream HAPPY NEW YEAR and blow their horns at midnight.
In all honesty it will likely go like this......we plan to make whoopie pies after supper.  Then we'll all get on our jammies and settle in for the marathon.

No matter what you eat or do this evening I pray you are safe and have a Happy New Year!!!!

See you in 2012!!!!  It is going to be an amazing year!!!!(think positive...its all about attitude!)