Charlie’s homeschool assignment this week was to look up superstitions for New Years Eve which we could participate in our home. As I looked through Charlie’s list I found things not only adults but children can do. I though you might like to check out the 24 New Year Superstitions Charlie and I will be discussing in school this week.
New Year’s Eve superstitions start with sharing a kiss at midnight: Kissing at Midnight has been happening from the time of ancient Rome to modern-day. I remember as a child watching Dick Clark’s Rockin New Years Eve and everyone kissing. As for my home as a child I don’t remember if my parents kissed or not. In our Home sometimes we do and sometimes we don’t. Do you kiss anyone at Midnight? New Year’s Eve superstitions start with sharing a kiss at midnight.
Put money in your wallets: I plan on having David go to the store this morning and getting a stack of $1 bills for us to put in our pockets, wallets and coats so we will have money all year. . It suggests that if you have cash in your wallet before midnight, you’ll have a year of prosperity. How great is that?
Don’t cry: Isn’t something I had heard of before today so no, sad movies or books because crying for any reason (even if it’s happy on New Year’s Day is believed to be a bad sign of things to come and it could result i having a year of sadness. I sure don’t need that.
Eating Black Eyed Peas: Which as a child always happened at Midnight and also on New Years Day not only in our home but my grandmothers as well. Because this will bring you money in the New Year and good health. My grandmother also would put Dried Black-Eyed Peas in her purses, in a Coffee Can in her closet and her coat pockets so she wouldn’t be broke. If truth be told I’ve done this at times as well and before you ask no, I’ve been broke lots of times so I can’t honestly say it works.
When eating the Black Eyed Peas some people will also eat Collard Greens which we never did growing up but if it would help maybe I should add that to our menu this year. I just don’t think David or Charlie would eat it or Cabbage and I can’t honestly say I would eat it as well. How about you. Do you eat Collard Greens or Cabbage?
Eating 12 Grapes: Isn’t something I had ever heard of until I was at my sister’s one year on New Year’s and my niece Alyssa all said we should eat 12 Grapes. Being Spanish I figured this was part of her heritage but its actually a popular tradition in Latino cultures. You’re going to need 12 Grapes e to do it right, which is one for each month of the year. Enjoying this treat means good luck and prosperity for each month of the incoming year. Charlie and David like Grapes so I know they wouldn’t mind eating them but I do not like Grapes but if it can help with our finances I think all three of us should eat Grapes. Would you like to join us?
Cleaning Your Home : Out with the old and in with the new. While laundry is forbidden, New Year’s Day superstitions can still include chores. Instead of carrying old dirt with you, the idea is to sweep it away. A clean home equals a fresh beginning and a New Year. I plan on having most of our home cleaned today but will pick up and cook tomorrow so throughout the year were able to. As well as working some because what ever you do on New Years is what you will be doing throughout the New Year and you can bet your bottom dollar I want both David and I to be working. Now that Charlie is 16 he also needs to be working tomorrow then in May when he starts to look for a job he will have one. God willing.
Burning Pictures: Isn’t something I had heard of but as Charlie was researching superstations for #Homeschool Charlie cam across this superstition and we burn photos to erase past memories for the New Year so that you can replace them with new memories. Whether you’re grabbing a lighter or clearing more space on your device, there is a chance to renew and replace. The world is much more digital these days, so burning a photograph may not be as practical as it once was. But you can use the delete button, on your computer to get rid of old photos. Which I need to do to free up my memory on my blog and in my email accounts. How about you?
. Keep Your Purse off of the Ground: This post will fit a lot of ladies but I very seldom carry a purse and when I do I don’t set it on the floor because it nasty. If you do put your purse on the floor you might want to rethink it because there are many different Countries that warn against placing your purse on the ground. because you are setting yourself up for bad luck and money problems all year long.
Do not do laundry on New Year Day: For those people who choose to they would be washing clothes for the dead. Someone in there family will die. I do not remember hearing this in the past but we can’t be too careful so you can bet your bottom dollar I will not be doing laundry tomorrow which means I have one more task to do today as we clean our home.
Look out your bedroom window: My sister is a single girl, and I plan on sharing this superstition with her. Which is supposed to mean her hubby is around the corner. Would you like to join Debbie on New Year’s Day, and look out your window as soon as you wake up. You should look for a man (or gal) passing by, which is a sign you may find yourself walking down the aisle before the year is up! I know this would make Debbie happy.
Don’t loan out money: This isn’t something I do at all but David is famous for borrowing money from his family so I’m going to let David and his mom know they will not want to loan out any money on NYE or New Year’s Day because it could be a bad financial omen for the months ahead. I don’t know about you but I sure don’t need any bad luck.
Avoid eating Chicken:
Someone was looking out for our family this morning because I had thought of making Fried Chicken which is David’s favorite meal or Grilled Chicken for Charlie but changed my mind and I’m going to make Chicken Fried Steak. In the meantime if your a Chicken lovers, you should skip out Chicken today because If you don’t, 2024 may end up being full of bad luck because some believe that because Chickens have wings, your luck will fly away if you have it on New Year’s Eve. Pass on that Chicken because none of us needs bad luck.
Whip out your red underwear
This superstition derives from Latin America and has to do with finding love in the New Year. I you slip into a red pair of undies for NYE, the undergarment will bring a relationship into your life. Which I don’t need but once again my sister does so I might need to go shopping and pick up a pair of red undies for her. Would you like to go shopping with me?
Wake up early
Being an early bird may not be for everyone, especially when it comes to January 1 but a Polish superstition says that if you commit to waking up early on January 1st it’ll result in you easily waking up early for the rest of the year. Which I defiantly need Charlie to do because he likes staying up all night and sleeping all day.
Toss dishes: Breaking dishing on your neighbor’s or family member’s doorstep is a Danish superstition that’s thought to bring about good luck in the year to come. Make sure you ask your neighbors if they mind you doing this. For our family we live in a apartment complex and don’t know our neighbors so we will have to sit this superstition out. How about you?
Run 7 times around your house: Get ready to run because it’s believed that if you run around your house seven times, you’ll have good luck in the New Year. This is a good way to get kids outside and for everyone to get some much needed exercise. Would you like to run around our home with Charlie and I this evening?
Sport polka dots: People in the Philippines are all about wearing polka-dotted clothing on New Year’s Eve. Since the round shape looks like a coin, they think it’ll bring about wealth and prosperity for the year to come. My family will have to pass on this as well because we don’t have clothes with polka dots and I don’t plan on going shopping. What about you. Do you have polka dots you can wear?
Stay in your house: This superstition doesn’t mean you have to stay in your house forever just until someone from the outside comes through your door which would be hard because most of the time we don’t have company and not only that David has to leave work while most people are sleeping so there isn’t anyone to come over. How about you. Are you able to do this superstition?
Throw things out your window: If you’re ever in Italy on NYE, there’s a good chance you’ll see people tossing their belongings—including pieces of furniture—out their window at midnight! This may seem surprising and dangerous, there it’s a superstition that’s thought to help make room for positive vibes in the New Year. But I don’t think our Apartment Manager would like to see us throwing things out of the window so were going to pass on this superstition. How about you?
Perform a bear dance: In Romania, people dress up in bearskins and dance up and down the streets! If they do this between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, it’s supposed to ward off bad luck. You will not see my family doing this because we do not have a Bearskin. Do you have one we can borrow?
Pass on the Lobster: Is easy for me and Charlie because we don’t eat Lobster’s but David does and I don’t plan on purchasing a Lobster for him. Although, having a fancy dinner may sound like a great way to ring in the New Year, avoid ordering Lobster on NYE because many cultures believe that because Lobsters move backward, if you eat one before midnight, then your year will have lots of setbacks. This is something my family defiantly doesn’t need and I’m sure you don’t either.
Burn a scarecrow: Scarecrows are typically a fall decoration in America, but in Ecuador, they’re a symbol of the previous year’s bad energy. People there burn Scarecrows as a way to have a fresh start to their New Year. For our family we have Scarecrows we’ve used to decorate with and no, I’m not going to burn them. Do you have a Scarecrow and are you going to burn it?
Step with your right foot; Several cultures think that you shouldn’t step into the New Year on your left foot. That way you’re guaranteed to start things off on the right foot! I need to make sure I’m up in the morning before David and Charlie get out of bed to remind them to step on there right foot first. I just hope I remember to do this as well.
Eat Soba Noodles: In Japan, people eat Buckwheat Soba Noodles at midnight which isn’t something I’m familiar with or that I want to try. Soba Buckwheat Noodles will bring about prosperity and longevity if you eat them as one year ends and the other year begins.
Open the doors at midnight: Which may be chilly outside, but if you open your door just before midnight, it’s supposed to be a way you can let the old year out and welcome the new one in. I like to do this because people celebrate and I like hearing the noise makers and Firecrackers even though they shouldn’t be going off.
Forget doing chores: Some superstitions are all about doing a NYE pre-clean, this Chinese superstition is the complete opposite. It suggests that you don’t do any cleaning on New Year’s Day because if you do, you’ll end up throwing away or washing away your luck. Although you should sweep all the bad vibes out of the house.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
