I’ve gone through New Year’s traditions just before the ball drop for as long as I can remember. And these traditions, as my mother told me, we’re meant to bring in prosperity, good health, and good fortune for the new year.
As a kid, of course, I never knew what it meant, but as I got older, it had become second nature. However, it meant bringing some good fortune for her family our way for my mom. She learned these traditions growing up and was passed down from her great-grandmother.
Clean house the house from top to bottom
Doing a deep clean of the apartment was always done every other Saturday. But when it came to New Year’s Eve, it had to be spotless. My mom would grab the cleaning products and clean our apartment from top to bottom. I remember as a child, and I always wanted to be her assistant duster. So, she would spray a little furniture polish on my rag, and I’d go to town polishing all the wood furniture.
She would spend a week before the big day moving, throwing away, and scrubbing every piece of furniture in our apartment. I felt like I was living in a dirty war zone because things were out of place until she was done. It took a week because she had to take each room in segments with three kids who hated cleaning.
It always amazed me how she did it because she did it all by herself aside from my little dusting. But I understood why she did it. Cleaning your home so thoroughly before New Year’s Eve means that you’re not carrying the “baggage” of the year into the new one. It’s as the saying goes, “Out with the old, in with the new.”
Cook a meal before the New Year
Cooking a meal before New Year’s was important growing up in my household. As much food as my mother would cook for Christmas, most of it would be gone by New Year’s eve. There was the occasional spoonful of collard greens left, and by then, the rest of the turkey had already been chopped up and ready for turkey salad sandwiches.
But when it came to the New Years’ dinner, it was always a small meal of food that was just as good as Christmas dinner. My mom would spend a few hours preparing cabbage, black eye peas and rice, cornbread, and pork shoulder.
And every year it was the same. Sometimes the pork shoulder would be a ham or pork chops, but the meat was always some form of pork. My mom was born and raised in New Orleans. She came from a family line rich in southern food, traditions, and superstitions.
These dishes weren’t just a delicious dinner. If you’re from the south, you know that each was cooked because there was symbolism behind them.
Meaning of cooking these dishes for the new year
- Cabbage – cooking the greens was to bring good fortune for the incoming year. The greens could be cabbage, collard, mustard or turnip greens, kale, chard, or other leafy green vegetables.
- Black-eyed peas – cooking the black-eyed peas, lentils or beans was to bring coins or wealth to the home. Each dish is usually cooked with pork, sausage, or ham.
- Cornbread – cooking the cornbread symbolized gold and is a staple food to eat with black-eyed peas or your greens.
- Pork shoulder – cooking the pork shoulder was considered a sign of prosperity. Some type of pork is essential for the main dish.
She would start at 8 pm, and by 10 pm, the smells of the food would consume our home. But we weren’t allowed to eat it until the new year. So, it was a turkey salad sandwich if I was still hungry at the time.
She was taught these dishes would drive away the bad fortune experienced that year, and I was all for it.
Clean sheets, clean body, clean mouth
A clean house was only half the cleaning venture. It helped to have a washing machine in our apartment because it meant my mom could wash our linen on New Year’s Eve. Ringing in the new year with clean linen, bodies, and mouths was something we did every New Year’s Eve.
We’d strip our beds, pile the sheets up in the living room, and my mom would give us clean ones. Of course, making our beds didn’t come without bouncing on the mattresses or getting into a fight. But after a few yells from my mom to stop, we’d get it done.
It wasn’t until the 10 pm hour that things really would pick up. If you ever wanted to see three kids scramble to get cleaned up before 11:30 pm, then my house was the perfect spot. My brother, sister, and I would take turns showering, brushing our teeth, and putting on fresh, clean pajamas for the New Year.
Something that was supposed to take us that hour and a half less turned into coming down to the last minute. Every year, for some reason, we’d get into a play fight, and my mom would have to stop cooking to bring some order to the house. As we got older, we got better at this, but nothing beat those days when we were younger.
There was nothing like feeling clean going into the new year. It was important because it symbolized a fresh start, and my mom was all about fresh starts.
Prayer before the New Year
I grew up in a catholic home, and the final tradition every year was saying the Lord’s prayer before the ball’s dropping. And we included everyone in the household, even our cat. Unfortunately, my dad would have to work that day every year. Racing through the house to get to the living room to kneel was normal.
We’d be dressed in our clean pajamas and my mom in her nightgown, kneeling side by side. My cat at the time would be stretched out on the floor behind us. In the background would be Dick Clark waiting for the countdown, and I miss seeing him each New Year.
My mom would always lead the prayer until we could take over. For me, hearing that prayer meant an end to a year and knowing that God would continue to watch over my family and me for another year.
Somehow, we always finished the prayer just as the countdown got down to ten. And after the countdown was over, the New Year was met with hugs, kisses, sometimes tears, and a toast of sparkling cider.
What the New Years traditions mean to me
I’m big on my family’s traditions. It has been around all my life, and I’ve tried my best to continue those traditions in some capacity as I’ve gotten older. What made doing these so special to me was that I got to experience ringing in the new year with my family.
While everyone was getting ready to party all night long in Times Square, my family and I were in our little Bronx apartment, making sure everything was in place. These traditions as I got older gave me some hope that the new year would be different than the last.
And not doing them the way my mom used to and the ladies before her makes me feel incomplete and not as protected. A lot has changed, and my sister and I are now left with memories. But those memories always fuel me to continue cleaning up, cooking, and saying the Lord’s prayer before the countdown.
Continuing these traditions allows me to not only keep my childhood memories alive but also my mom too. I may have dropped off a bit from deep cleaning, but I hope she’s happy to see that I haven’t forgotten how we bring in the new year.
And this year is no different.
So, what are some New Year’s traditions you have? Share some of the ways you prepare your home for holidays in the comments down below. And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, @thesilenttorch, for daily affirmations, weekly challenges & check-ins, updates, and positive words.
Until next time this is Tammy saying keep strong, keep positive. And Happy Holidays!!!
