Traditions

I know that we're already on the 2nd day of the year but I want to share some traditions with you. 

 1) United States

New Year Resolutions - One of the most popular and important traditions of the season among the various New Year traditions is to make optimistic New Year resolutions.  This tradition originated centuries ago when people shut the door on the past and resolved to do good in the coming year. The type of New Year resolutions has changed with time. Modern holiday resolutions show trend towards health and fitness. Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking (I never had any and don't have for this year neither).

Kissing at Midnight - Kissing the beloved in midnight New Years Eve parties is a very common tradition. It is practiced not only to share the New Year moment with the love but also to ensure that the love and affection remains steadfast all through the year.

The Midnight Cacophony - Making high-sounding noise and bursting firecrackers in the midnight of New Years Eve derives from the superstition to drive away the evil spirits who gather with the sounds of horns and beating of drums.

Letting the Old Year Out - At midnight, all the doors of a house must be opened to let the old spirit escape.  He must leave before the New Year says popular wisdom, so doors are flung open to assist him in finding his way out.

New clothes – Wearing something new on January 1^st, will increase your receiving of more new garments during the year.

Breakage – Avoid breaking thing on that first day for fear that wreckage be part of your year.

Luck - It is thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or ate on the first day of the year. It’s also believed that the first visitor on New Year's Day would bring either good luck or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.

Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck.  Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the New Year by consuming black-eyed peas (to attract luck and good fortune) and other legumes that have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog meat is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another good luck vegetable and Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day. Another belief is that one must not each chicken or turkey on the first day because this brings poverty.


2) Haiti

Haitian swept floors, cleaned clothes and bought new plates and bowls, make sure everything's clean in their house. It's a renewal thing

They wore yellow-colored clothing to ring in the New Year at midnight for good luck.

They eat oranges at midnight. The number of seeds found inside the fruit indicate how successful one will be in the New Year. They also drink champagne, wine or "cremas".

January 1^st is an important holiday in Haiti as it’s a double celebration: the Independence Day and the New Year.

Haitians wear new clothing and exchange gifts in the hope that it will bode well for the new year. In many parts of Haiti, a midnight mass is celebrated on the New Year.  Some years ago, you would also witness a lot of firework during New Year in Haiti or sometimes gunshots but they don’t do this anymore, only in some rare cases.

A popular food that is eaten on the first day of January is pumpkin soup with bread (I love it!!!); it’s the only thing that will be eaten this day in every house. The significance of this is that during the slave times in Haiti, only the french colonists could drink this delicious and aromatic meal on special occasions while the slaves were to drink simple bread soup. Well, on January 1st 1804, during the Independence celebration, a huge pot of pumpkin soup was concocted, and every one present was served a bowl as a symbol of unity and victory and to demonstrate that everyone was equal. Cooking and eating the soup on New Year's Day is a way to celebrate freedom.

                              

 
On January 2nd, in most houses what will be cooked is black rice (haitian national food), turkey, salad and macaroni "au gratin" (one of my favorite dishes).