misc holiday questions...

[Babywhite]

What is the traditional foods you are supposed to eat on New Year's Day?

Also, what is the old myth about Christmas decor -- bad luck to leave up after the 1st or bad luck to take down before the 1st?

TIA

[specialp]

In the South, its greens & blackeyed peas.

I forget about the luck one, but I don't take my down until Jan. 6th.

[MamaKath]

New Year's Foods- herring, lentil/pea soup, pig's feet (yuck!)

Christmas decorations- January 6th is often traditional as it is Epiphany on the church's calendar

[trentsmom]

I always eat black eyed peas for luck. My parents tell the story of one New Year's Eve they spent with my mom's aunt and uncle. My great aunt wanted to serve black eyed peas for luck and some strange part of a pig (can't remember what part) for money. Well, she couldn't find the right part of the pig, so she ended up serving pig's ears. My parents decided that they'd rather be poor than try to eat the pig's ears every year!

[MamaMolly]

I'm from the deep south and we do black eyed peas and ham for luk, my Newfie MIL does the pickled herring. We're both kind of disgusted by each other's tradition

We also leave the decorations up until Epiphany, usually the 6th. Of course I remember the year that the tree stayed up until Easter. Looking back I think my mom was going through a rough time.

[SnuggleBuggles]

W/ my heritage (E. and W. European) we are supposed to eat pork and sauerkraut.

Decorations up till at least the 1st but the 6th is good.

Beth

[Melaine]

In the south, greens are supposed to symbolize cash and black-eyed peas coins. Maybe in this time of financial stress on all of us, we should actually eat that unpleasant combination in hopes of improvement for the new year!

[kijip]

1- greens and blackeyed peas are yummy.

2- Christmas is not over till Epiphany. 12 days of Christmas.