Holyday Traditions

[ickaimp]

Was talking to darthanne about regional traditions and realised I forgot to post about one of my favourite Southwestern ones:



... Johannes and I both grew up calling these 'Luminario', but it seems like most people know them as 'Luminaria'. Either or?

The traditional way to do these is to get a brown paper bag, fold the top edges down, fill the bottom with sand or gravel and put in a votive or tea candle. I've also seen small bricks with holes carved in them for the candle. They're usually seen on Christmas Eve, but with the electric kind coming out in recent years (such as these), they're seen more commonly throughout December.
Albuquerque especially does massive displays.
The electric ones are cool too, cause then the candle doesn't blow out. ^__^

The original conversation came about because we were talking about the Southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Years.

Any other New Years traditions people do?

Comments

[kasuchi]

The history behind that particular Southern tradition is very interesting, indeed!

And those are really cool!

My family traditionally goes to temple. I love the singing and the solace. I rarely see that many Indian people in one place.

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Happy New Year! ((GLOMPS!))

The Singing was always my favourite part when I went to Church too. #^^#

[tantei-hakuba.livejournal.com]

I haven't done it in a while, due to the fact it's boring to do my traditions alone, but here are three I used to do:

1. New Years Wishes/Resolutions: you write down your wishes, hopes, resolutions for the new year, light a candle (preferibly white), and burn the wishes. It's based off the wiccan idea that a burnt hope, allows the smoke to travel to the gods, for their blessing in your quest.

2. Memory Candles: You light a candle for everyone you've lost in the last year, a candle for everyone you've met in the last year and everyone you hope to keep in the coming year.

3. Food for Hope: The first bite you eat after midnight, must be related to something you hope to find in the new year, Pomagranates for love (or other love related food), something green for money (or brown/yellow, or white), milk/dairy for family (children/husband/wife/lover, keeping your family safe/ect), yellow/brown/golden for luck (and money, they tend to go hand in hand), ect, basically the colour you must associate with something.

Heh, guess I did number three since I ate ranch dip and triscits and the most I want out of the coming year is more money and family stuff.

-Saitaina
(under Saguru's rpg journal)

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

*waves at the Hakuba* XD

Ooo... I like the candles. That makes a lot of sense.

Interesting on the food. Never thought of that. Thanks!

Happy New Year!

[vera-dicere.livejournal.com]

black-eyed peas for money [coins/change], but there's also the tradition of eating collard/turnip greens for money [bills/greenbacks]. also, apparently there's a tradition of putting a penny in the bowl of black-eyed peas, and whoever finds it will have good fortune, probably of the monetary variety.

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

Coins and greenbacks. That makes a lot of sense, having something to relate it to like that. Thanks!

Happy New Year!

[marsdejahthoris.livejournal.com]

Sauerkraut for good luck. I always say that it's because after having the sauerkraut, nothing worse can happen to you all year... :)

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

Hey! I happen to -like- Sauerkraut! >P

[marsdejahthoris.livejournal.com]

You can have my share, then. :)

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

Excellent! ^________^

[theaino.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my grandmother lives in Rio Rancho and does a massive luminaria display every Christmas. I did see them near Birmingham, Alabama this year so I guess they're spreading? The lawn caught on fire though, so I guess that's why they aren't that popular in places with grass. *facepalm*

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

Rio Rancho's not all that far from here! Coolness!

*Laughs* It caught on fire?!

... I suppose that isn't something that one should laugh about, but it's still kind of an amusing image.

-When I was a child and would see them in New Mexico, it was usually while they were surrounded by snow. That may also be another factor... Hmm.

[theaino.livejournal.com]

Sweet! I've probably been to where you are then.

Yeah, there was semi-circle burned lawn about the size of a hula hoop next to the street. I don't think there was any permanent damage, but it was pretty amusing. Oh, look dear, the lawn is on fire.

[darthanne.livejournal.com]

That looks really cool - thanks for posting the piccy.

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

You're quite welcome! Thanks for prompting the discussion!

[she-beast.livejournal.com]

My mother's side of the family is Latin - a big bowl of menudo for breakfast to cure the hangover.

My father's side of the family is Southern - black-eyed peas and cornbread for prosperity in the coming year.

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

Think I'll pass on the Latin traditions, mostly because I'm allergic to menudo and secondly because I'd prefer to pass on the hangover if at all possible. ^^;;

Cornbread for prosperity? Interesting. Thanks!

Happy New Year!

[(Anonymous)]

Well, in my family, the first words you must say at the start of a new month are "Rabbit Rabbit Rabbit" which brings in luck for the new month, and if you say it January 1st, you have luck for the whole year.

We also take down all the christmas decorations on the first, because my dad's family always did it for luck.

My mom's family eat black eyed peas for luck and collared greens for money on New Year's Day.

Good luck to everyone in this new year.

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

*facepalm* I forgot to do that this year! Thanks!

I learned it as 'white rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit' but the variation I tend to stick to is 'rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit'. I understand it varies from region to region which one you said.

My mother's side of the family, who was Roman Catholic for many years, took everything down on 6 Jan, Epiphany. And the 12th day after Christmas. #^^#

Thanks! Good luck to you too!

[full-metal-ox.livejournal.com]

Cut me and I bleed trivia:

Among the Chinese (although Chinese New Year isn't until the 26th), one of their thousand-and-three New Year's customs is to eat some sort of leafy green vegetable, such as bok choy or yu choy, or even Western iceberg lettuce, called "saang choy" in Chinese. As with so much of Chinese (and Japanese) superstition, an auspicious pun is involved: "choy", the word for green leafy vegetables, is homonymous for the word for "wealth."

Compare this with the American tradition, mentioned by previous posters, of eating collard or turnip greens (that's the Southern/African-American version; a lot of folks of Northern and Eastern European descent prefer cabbage, fresh and/or as sauerkraut) because the green vegetables are thought to resemble U.S. paper bills--the same practice, for the same reason, arrived at from a completely different direction! That fascinates the hell out of me.

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

Ooo! Triva! Thank you!

-We're planning on celebrating the Chinese New Year as a group on the 25th, so I'm gonna be doing a lot of reading on it soon. Yay for the heads up!

And you're right, that is really fascinating. ^__^ I love how some culture things seem to crossover without realising it.

[dagronrat.livejournal.com]

You remind me that I haven't done it yet this year, but a personal tradition of mine is to make and/or paint some miniature clay/plaster sculpture to celebrate the new year. I has clay. Will do one tomorrow. >D

Started doing it in my early teens, when I purchased a small plaster turtle and painted it on New Year's day. Mostly personal superstition though. ;) The new Year is as good an excuse as any to be creative, and I like to think this activity of mine will bode well for the year to come.

Dunno if my family has any specific traditions though. Apart from a good lie-in!