OMG!!! We did too, and still do.....where in Cleveland are you, i grew up there on the east side.

Must be a lot of Southerners on this board. It is black-eyed peas with Ham & cornbread for me also. This is the only time I ever eat black-eyed peas, I don't like them, but my husband loves them. I only eat them because of tradition.

I've also heard that WHAT you are doing at midnight is WHAT you'll be doing the rest of the year!
wink!wink!wink! :)[/quote]

..........something tells me I am going to have a headache...........

I have always heard Whatever you do on New Years day thats what you will do the rest of the year, hmmmm, quilters??

also the blackeyed peas, collards,(or cabbage) ham or other parts of pork were to bring luck to the house, another is if a man enters first of the year happiness and content
a woman, brings love

I also heard about christmas decorations, but my (Quaker,amish) said leave up till Jan 6(Old Christmas)

I forgot another, (sistadebbra, thanks for the reminder) everything had to be cleaned before New Years, also no washing the linen till after New Years, and for the life of me I don't understand that one!

Isn't it amazing what old superstitions come about,

well what about the other part of the country?

We have pork and the christmas decorations stay up until Jan.6th.

I was raised with the tradition that you had to have your house clean on New Year's Day - because if you didn't, you house would be dirty all year. We also believed in the "First Foot," a British tradition. If a dark haired man carrying a 'bottle' (of booze) was the first person to cross your threshold on New Year's Day you would have good luck all year. No longer observe either since both parents passed many years ago. Now the only tradition we observe is to eat black eyed peas on New Year's Day to bring good luck for the year. I usually make Hoppin John with black eyed peas on New Years.

My Grandmother that raised me always cooked cabbage, she said you had to eat cabbage to have money all year.We didn't like it then but she would make us (my brother and I) eat a little any way. Now I like it and I always make a big pot of cabbage rolls every New Years day.

Among those mentioned my mother always placed a basin with some silver coins in water. This she had us wash our faces with some coins and water. We were told it would bring us wealth. Well it depends on how one sees wealth; could mean family, health, happiness, friends (you can add to this).
Happy and Blessed New Year everyone.

Never eat any kind of fowl on NYD (chicken, goose, duck, turkey, etc) or you'll be scratching for money the rest of the year! I've drilled this into my kids heads since they were little. Am I superstitious? You betcha!!!

My Grandmother believed that you had to roll a head of cabbage all thru the house, which would bring one money, we had blackeyed peas, cornbread, ham hocks, fried cabbage, and onion. This was to remind us of our hertage.