Wednesday, December 31, 2008

What are you doing on New Year's Day?

Do you have any sayings or superstitions connected to the New Year? Our family has one which I will explain in a moment but I had another I adhere to each year. I looked up some more and found it very amusing to read them.

Kiss your loved one at the stroke of midnight to ensure warmth and a closeness of your relationship in the coming year.

The first guest to enter your house should be tall, dark and handsome to influence the coming year. It is best if he comes bearing a gift. Okay, let me indulge here! I would love to see Alan Titchmarsh walk in my door at midnight bearing new things for my garden like the hydrangeas I am looking for along with an iron vase and stand for the end of my pergola. As you can see, I have plans for my garden in 2009...

Now this is one my family has always practiced. My aunt used to ask me if I was eating my pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day. We always said it would bring you prosperity in the new year. I have now read that you eat pork because poultry scratches backwards, a cow stands still but a pig roots forward. By eating pork, you will move forward in the new year. You eat the sauerkraut simply because it tastes good with the pork.

And finally...
Do not do laundry on New Year's Day, lest a member of the family be washed away.

Whatever you do on New Year's, have a safe and happy holiday!

20 comments:

Nancy said...

Very cute, and since I am sitting on Skype line waiting for you to finish, I feel I was hunting the pictures with you. I never knew you ate sauerkraut just because it taste good with pork. LOL. I never knew about the wash and I have a load to finish so I better get down stairs and do it today.
The little girls are too cute. I tried to see Alan close up, because I see nothing good looking about him, but oh well. I want Jos to come to the ocmputer so I can tell him to go outside at midnight then come in with a gift.
Have a good evening and a wonderful New Year.
Love you and Jos and Dagi.
Hugs and Kisses, Mom

Carolien said...

The kissing part is very much o.k. with me. The Sauerkraut part, well, André and the girls don't like it! Can you imagine? Weird people. I love it, but never eat it since ... Mr. Titchmarsh is completely o.k. too, as you know. And the laundry bit: I have to dry my towels today then and since we're off to Zeeland tomorrow no laundry to be done!

Gelukkig Nieuwjaar! Hugs, Carolien
P.S. Sterkte bij de tandarts!

Roberta said...

What a nice way to end the year!! your posts are very informative. Tonight we are having pork and black eyed peas for dinner. And I guess I best get the laundry done today!!

Happy New Year to you and Jos and Dagi!

Roberta

Peg said...

Thank you Heidi for yet another wonderful insight into facts. I'm actually doing washing whilst on here hoping to have an empty laundry basket on NY's day. Alan Titchmarsh, yes for his gardening skills my garden desperately needs someones skill. I'd rather have George Clooney come a knocking on my door, Mmmmm :o)
May I wish you peace, health and happiness in the New Year.
hugs Peg xx

Pondside said...

Rest assured that I won't be doing any laundry!!!
We also have the superstitions of a dark man being the first to enter the house, but I'd never heard of the pork and sauerkraut! We'll have baked ham and scalloped potatoes tomorrow, and our son will surely come through the door - all 6'5" of him with dark hair!

Susan in SC said...

We have similiar superstitions. I love reading about what other people believe! Guess I will have to wash today or wait until Friday! Thanks Heidi for sharing this. I hope you have a Happy New Year filled with love and happiness!

Rhondi said...

Hello my dear friend
I hope your Christmas was an enjoyable one. When I was a child we always had someone with dark hair come through the front door. Ihad forgotten thatuntil youmentioned it!
Hope 2009 brings you much joy and abundance with good health too!
Thanks for being my friend.
Hugs, Rhondi

hazel c UK said...

Hi Heidi, What a lovely surprise to see Mr.T, he can come knocking on my door anytime night or day.
Thanks for cheering me up it really did give me a giggle. Also a good excuse not to do any washing tomorrow. I plan on stitching on my Gardeners Journal quilt tomorrow.
Warm hugs and thanks again.
Hazel (UK)

Maggie said...

I never knew you were not supposed to wash on new years day, good job mines finished tonight, lol.
When we were young there was a tradition of a dark haired person going out of the back door and coming in through the front door bringing with him a peice of coal and a peice of bread (i think), the coal so that you would never be cold and the bread so you wouldn't go hungry. I don't think this tradition is kept up very much in the UK any more.
Wishing you a very happy new year and i look forward to visiting your blog in 2009.
Maggie xx

DonnaTN said...

Even in TN we eat roast pork and sauerkraut! Our ancestors came from Germany. We always suspected the pork was just to go along with the kraut. We must have loads of mashed potatoes with it too. Just don't do what I did one year. My Mother asked me to mash the potatoes because I was good at it. I had a lovely fluffy pile, but when we ate them they seemed off. It turns out that Mother had put some left over eggnog in a milk container and being the good person that I am, I decided to use up the nearly empty cartoon first. Yes, we had noggy potatoes! I would not recommend this recipe to your readers. Have a Happy New Year!

Suzann said...

happy new year Heidi!

Tracy said...

Happy New Year, Heidi! Wishing you & yours many blessing in 2009--lots of love, peace and joy! :o) Funny all the superstitions surrounding the turn of a year. I do like the kissing part though...sealing love to come in the months ahead. No way I'd do laundry at New Year...mostly because I'm just too tired after all the festivity to bother with it--LOL! It'll all have to wait to go back to "normal" from tomorrow on. Where I come from in the USA it is traditional to eat pork with sauerkraut for good luck in the New Year. I don't eat meat, so don't keep up with this tradition...but I seem to be lucky away--LOL! Today I take time to open an new journal book to write in and consider the days ahead. No big resolutions--just live more in praise of quiet joys, live more fully and throw some adventures and rediscoveries into the mix. Here's a to a brand new year. So glad to have met you in recent months, Heidi. And look forward to joining you here in the months ahead! :o) ((HUGS))

the tattered nest said...

Happy New Year Heidi! I don't have any New Year rituals..but I am superstitous, so I am not letting anyone do laundry today! never heard of that one. yikes.

Ragged Roses said...

What wonderful customs and traditions! Of course I always kiss my loved on at midnight but haven't heard of any of the others. Hope you;ve enjoyed a wonderful laundry free first day of the new year Heidi. Wishing you and your family a fabulous year ahead
Kimx

Anonymous said...

Happy new year, Heidi...love the sayings...not heard some of them before.
Margaret and Noreen

Anonymous said...

Dear Heidie,
What a lovely post again, such fun to read about traditions etc. at tis time of year...i took some pictures of a "cookie" tradition we have here. By the way when Alan is ready in your garden could you send him overhere ? Something has to be done about my garden at the side of the house.
Wishing you a nice sunday and hugs and greetings, Janneke.

The Dutchess said...

Very nice post and I loved the MUSIC...
Happy New Year dear, en..Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

RoyalTLady said...

Heidi,

Please come and check in my blog...YOU have been tagged!

Happy New Year

Mia said...

Happy New year, Heidi! I hope you had a lovely celebration. New Year´s day is always a special on for me and my husband since it is our wedding day, and this year we had a special anniversary, which made it even more special. Other than that we do not have any special traditions or customs. I usually remove the Christmas decorations on New Year´s day, but this year I did it even earlier due to the kittens, and also I wanted to start the New Year all fresh and "clean".

Marsha said...

thank goodness we had pork and ditched the saurkraut (can't stand the stuff). Had a nice kiss with my hubby at midnight. And didn't do laundry on the 1st. Whew. Looks like I'm all set for the new year.