A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2006 New Years Luck...

I have been meaning to ask ...

Do you all do the Black~eyed Peas for good luck?
It is a tradition here to ALWAYS have black~eyed peas on New Years day...but I found that a lot of people have never heard of it.

Just curious...

~V~

I always have black-eyed peas on New Years.
Can you just imagine what would happen to me if I DIDN'T?

Yep,gotta have some "Black-eyed Peas" for New Years

I always have a ham for Thanksgiving or Christmas,just so I can have the hambone to cook the peas with.

Well...not that it "help" me a bunch last year...but it certainly couldn't hurt! I usually try to make Hoppin John, greens and cornbread. Hubby went to get diapers just now and stopped by a little produce stand and got so fresh collard greens and a huge head of cabbage. YUMMY...

~V~

I have never heard of that, so never done it.

Yep...that's what I'm shoutin'!

I have heard of it, but have never done it.

Triss...for as long as I can remember we have always done the black~eyed pea tradition.

The tradition is to eat black~eyed peas on New Years Day and you will have good luck the coming year. we use to have big get~togethers on New Years Eve...and eat at midnight...I can only assure you that I will be loading up on those bad boys this New Years Day for sure!!!

~V~

My "Up From the South" neighbors all do that and invite us over. Merme mentioned something about herring & sour cream or something and I wanted to ask her if that was regional "good luck". I tend towards the tamale tradition of my Mexican neighbors. Love well made tamales.
~Tina

I've never heard of the black eyed peas either.. nor have I eaten them.

We always cleaned our house throughly, and hoped that the first person that came in your door in the New Year was dark haired..Supposedly to bring luck?

I has not worked yet..
What do the black eyed peas taste like???

OMG Sybil..you have never had black~eyed peas?
Hhmm...I wouldn't know how to begin to describe how they taste...they are actually more of a "bean" flavor than a pea. Most people cook ham or ham hocks in them. Hoppin John is black~eyed peas with smoked sausage, ham, rice onion & tomatoes...really yummy!
I have never heard of the dark haired person bringing good luck...that's pretty neat!

Sorry Barley, I referred to you as Triss earlier...I'm on drugs.....and they aren't my fried today!


~V~

Never heard of the pea thing either, they say that good luck comes to those who get kissed as the New Year comes in. Sounds good to me.

Never heard of it as a tradition...

What color are the seeds, What do they look like?

but I like the "Black Eyed Peas" Band...

Most people I know have sauerkraut for New Years......

I've heard of black eyed peas put I've never had them before or the tradition......is it mostly a southern thing maybe?????

The only thing I have ever done is to drink a toast to the New Year and kiss the one you love. I can handle both of those things!

I never heard of the black eyed peas or hoppin John tradition until I marryed a southern boy. I never heard of anything except toasting the new year in and kissing the one you love same as Triss before I met Wayne. I wonder what the german, polish and slovene traditions are? I hang a dill pickle ornament on my tree for Christmas but don't know any other traditions from the old countries.

Fernie we do the picle on the tree as well. And I have heard of the New Years kiss..but didn't think it brought you a years worth of luck...however..it might make you LUCKY that night!

~V~

Vanessa we always had Black eyed suzies on New Years. billie's family had cabbage so we did both I still do. Not that it has done anygood.
Jimmy

Ok, I will confess... I am a LUNATIC when it comes to New Year's Eve traditions! I do 'em ALL, with no regional bias!

The tradition of black eyed peas began during the Civil War when the troops were starving. They came upon some black eyed peas and survived. The tradition holds that if you eat the peas in memorial to that event, you will always get the help you need, just when you need it!

Customarily, the ideal for New Years is to do whatever you would like to do all the rest of the year... beginning it as you mean to continue. So surrounding yourself with family and friends, sharing good food, good times, good hospitality, is an assurance that this is what you'll be doing all the rest of the year.

Pickled Herring in sour cream sauce (a very sweet confection!) served on crackers is a Germanic - Scandinavian tradition. It is meant to bring you prosperity -- not just to survive, but to afford a few of the luxuries; a sign of not struggling, an abundant harvest.

And of course, you must hold on to at least one silver coin at midnight so you'll always have money in your hand all year.

AND NEVER, EVER, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES EAT CHICKEN ON NEW YEAR'S EVE OR DAY! If you do that, you will have to "scratch" for your living all year!

Merme, leaving no possible stone unturned...

Black eyed peas are gooood. And yes we have them with some type of pork and collards or some type of greens on New Years Day. Cindy Bell would have bad luck if we didn't. So Cindy, if you have another year like this one, it's the fault of your friends here at the Forum who did not eat right on New Years Day.

black eyed peas look like this...

black eyed peas

They are wonderful!!!

But as a tradition, we do pork, sauercraut, and mashed potatoes.

Man...I am so glad I read that about the chicken..I was planning on making a chicken salad/dip for crackers for New Years day...BUT...NOOOOOO WAAAYYYY amd I gonna have that now!
Now I remember G~Mom giving us the black~eyed pea lesson last year! It's all coming back to me....


~V~

Wow that Hoppin John sounds right up my alley.. I love pork hocks and cabbage so that sounds great.

Sure Sybil...look in the dry bean section...if they are not there ..look in the canned beans...they come both ways. I use the dry because ...well...just because I always have...but the canned ones are already cooked so all you would have to do is throw them in.


~V~

Vanessa black eyed peas are not everywhere. I know the lasdt time I left the U.S. and went to Nebraska I took wolf chili to sherrei and kids because they can't get it there and when they do find it cost too much.
Jimmy

See, I really should get out more!!!


~V~

Looks like you need to.
Jimmy

in my house, since it is a mixed bag... we have ham and black eyed peas with our pork and sauerkraut! my kids have grown up with that and will fight to see who gets the dime out of the peas and who can eat the least kraut and still say they did! waht a tradition

Jiffymouse ~ do you know the tradition for the sauerkraut and pork? I know people do that, but have never heard the why...

When I was a little kid, my dad always bought those tiny glass bottles of Coca Cola for the New Year's Eve bash he'd always have at home. To me, no coke or pepsi ever tastes as good as the coke that came in those itty bitty bottles. Every now and then I will see them for sale someplace and will buy some for Maxi...

Merme

the pork and sauerkraut is a european thing. mostly germans, but poles and others do that too. scott's family is penn. dutch (german) and have retained a lot of the "old" habits like that.

Merme...my mother was CRAZY about those little cokes!! And you are right...they are the best! I think of her everytime I run across those tiny bottles...although you don't see them much anymore.
I had never heard of the pork & kraut on New Years day until hearing about it here last year. We love pork & kraut...I am listing all the traditions and gonna be like Merme and not leave any stone uncovered!!!!

~V~

'Nessa ~

I always figger "well, although it might help some, it certainly can't hoit" (as my m. g'pa from NYC used to say!)

So load up the pots and pans and dig out the coins.

Maxi asked me today if he could TAPE the coins to his hand in case he falls asleep before 12 o'clock!

I said "certainly!".

Merme

Nothin like being prepared!!!


~V~

tamara,

being from nb, you certinly will eat some ploy,my mom in law is from,St Francois,i think my hubby s cousin was chief of police in edmunston or somewhere around there,they called him spike.

where you from,we rode there in motorcycle for vacation a couple a years ago,it s superb.

well have a good one.

jenn,

that black-eyed-pea looks so gooooo,i ve got to try it next year...thanks for the recepe,lalalalala.

Merme - how do you know about that southern stuff all the way up in Maine? I never heard of black eyed peas until we moved south. Personally I think Boston baked beans taste better but I have acquired a major taste for greens and cornbread.

Never knew about chicken - that would explain why my dad always used to say "if it weren't for bad luck we'd have no luck at all" - that and Hee Haw was his favorite show.

PS - just learned about the pickle thing yesterday in Dollywood - should have checked here first.

Yeah...we are always up on the latest and greatest!!!


~V~

Gotta find some place that sells Tamales when I get off. I have always heard you will do the same thing rest of the year as you do on New Years day so I guess I will work next year. I have heard of kissin gthe one you love at the stroke but since I can't I hope all you women will accept this in her memory And a hardy handshake to all the men.
Jimmy