What will you be eating on New Year's Day?!

I have spent the day getting ready for my New Years Day Meal.

I am not superstitious,  but why take a chance~wink wink~

I am sure the tradition of eating certain foods isn't only a Southern "Thang", but I do imagine the foods are different in other areas of the country, and, yes, the world.

At my house, Momma always made turnip greens, black eyed peas, hog jowl and cornbread.

A few years back, I was astonished to find that cabbage was an acceptable alternative to turnip greens after all those years of chocking down those yucky greens!

So, can someone explain to me WHY I cooked turnip greens, today!! 🤤

I did buy a head of cabbage,  you know, just in case!

While I don't like turnip greens, I do love cooked turnips, and I cooked some today as my treat!  That is another of those food memories for me.

Surprise,  surprise, right??😉

I cooked a big pan of hog jowl to add to my turnip greens and to the black eyed peas.

On New Year's Day, I will make a skillet of cornbread, and maybe yellow rice to make my peas into hoppin' john...oh yum!!!

I also cooked a few apples, cause Aunt Sybil said to always have apples with Pork, so, I most always do! 😁

I thought I would share a bit of the history of these foods, in case you wondered why these foods are often eaten on January 1.

The tradition of black-eyed peas for Southerners is believed to have originated back during Civil War times when Sherman's soldiers raided Southern homes, taking virtually all of the food and burning the crops, but mostly ignoring the fields of black-eyed peas, because they thought them to be food for the livestock and of no value otherwise. As one of the few food sources left to sustain the people and the southern soldiers, those black-eyed peas came to represent good fortune.

The black eyed peas (any cowpeas, really) represent coins. In olden days 😁😂🤣, a coin was placed in the peas to be found. I don 't think that would be a good idea, in this day and age.

The greens represent paper money, and the cornbread represents gold. Eating these foods is thought to bring prosperity for the year.

I need to see why pork is eaten--maybe another symbol of wealth??...

Y'all hum the JEOPARDY theme while I go look...

Dum dum dum dum....

Ok...pork is thought to symbolize posperiety, because pigs root forward!

Who knew!

But, don't eat chicken, cause they scratch backwards! 😲

Yes, this is fun, and I know we all need some fun in our lives.

Logically, this can't work, but there is, in my opinion, some truth to this belief.

I believe in the power of positive thinking.

I know the feeling of hopelessness.

If eating a certain food can make one BELIEVE something good is going to happen, what does it hurt??

I believe we find what we seek.

So, Y'all know what I will be eating on New Year's Day!

Also, know that I am claiming every blessing that will come my way in 2018.

I wish, for us all, that we will CELEBRATE each day as it comes, and to cherish the moments and the people in our lives.

I hope we will CELEBRATE the things we have in common.

May we offer the same grace that we will be given.

Let's laugh more and whine less.

Let's accept the flaws in others, cause, honey, we ain't no perfect specimen!

Let's help others when we get a chance.

Listen to that small, still voice.

God has given most of us good sense, so Let's use it! We will help the others the best we can --bless their heart! 😉

Let's make time for each other...for the things that matter.

Wipe from your vocabulary, "I don't have time." We do EXACTLY what we want to do!

Practice Random Acts of Kindness.

Think of others and practice kindness and hospitality.

LOVE yourself.

LOVE yourself!!

LOVE yourself, so you can love others!!

You are an awesome creation  molded in the image of God.  That is how special you are.

You ARE LOVED.

Thank YOU for crossing my path. Maybe we don't see eye-to-eye on things, but we can learn from each other...maybe to just cross the street, but that is ok, too. 😉

Thank you for the words of encouragement you have given to me. I hope you know how much it means to me.

I hope to be better, because of YOU.

Now, Let's CELEBRATE LIFE!

Happy New Year!

I am simply blessed to create~charlotte♡