New Year New Traditions!

We previously covered some traditions that happen in North America that have German (cabbage for wealth) and Egyptian (black eyed peas, also for wealth) roots, but what about other cultures that have been enmeshed within America? As the melting pot of the world, there are several traditions celebrated in the United States of America (U.S.A.) that have origins elsewhere. However, it is worth noting that there are some traditions that seem to have originated in the U.S.A. such as the consumption of greens for wealth and warding off evil spirits that seem to have originated in the U.S.A. Again, that is not the case for a lot of the New Year's traditions celebrated here.

For example, does your family eat noodles on New Year's Day? If so, that is a tradition originating from Asian countries. The noodles bring wealth but also symbolize longevity, so they are traditionally eaten in places like China or Japan in order to grant a long and fruitful life.

You might have Filipino roots if your family eats 12 types of fruit for the new year; that is one fruit for every month of the year. If your family has roots in Spain, you probably eat 12 grapes that must be consumed and if the grapes are not consumed at the same time within the time limit, it is considered bad luck and you will have bad luck for the rest of the year. Again, one grape for every month.

European customs vary from country to country and range from eating pork for wealth and prosperity (Germany) to wearing red underwear to ensure fertility (Italy) to melting a metal to predict the future for the year (Germany and Finland).

Circling back to fruit, the interesting thing about traditions involving fruit is that each fruit has a meaning and some of those meanings are cross-cultural as well. For example, pomegranates across the Philippines, Greece, and Mexico are considered to be symbols of fertility.

Once again, you've been armed with knowledge of traditions for New Year's Day celebrations/traditions. So, are you going to start a new tradition this year or continue with your current ones? Either way, we hope you had a wonderful New Year and that 2023 will be better than 2022. Oh, and be careful with dark chocolate - the heavy metal issue has yet to be resolved.

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