New Year 2011

I did some research this year and found out about the traditions and superstitions that people follow for saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming the new. With the spate of luck (or lack thereof) that I’ve been having over the last few years, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try to entice Lady Luck to glance my way for a change.

With this in mind, on New Year’s Eve (aka Old Year’s Night in my country), we cooked black eyed peas and rice (which supposedly brings good luck); before sunset I swept out the bad luck of the old year and took out the trash; and I ensured that at the stroke of midnight, there was money in my pocket for continued prosperity in the new year.

 Black-eyed peas with rice - Old Year's Menu

Of course, there were some things I just could not do. I had no one to kiss on the stroke of midnight and there was no tall, dark-haired man to be the first-footer in my home. Instead, I offered up a silent prayer to my maker. It is believed that the first words you hear in the minutes of the New Year will set the precedence for the entire year.

 A bottle of wine to celebrate the occasion

On New Year’s Day, it is said to wear a new piece of clothing (encourages more new clothing) and to wear red underwear (for good luck) so I did both. No sweeping or taking out trash the first day of the year (the good luck could be swept/taken out) and no crying or you will be crying all year long.

Eating pork on New Year’s Day is lucky because pigs eat moving forward. Therefore, those who eat pork will move forward in the coming year. Poultry should never be eaten on New Year’s Day. Poultry scratch for their food, so those who eat poultry will "scratch" for their food all year. Well, I don’t eat pork so I hope goat, mutton or beef are acceptable alternatives.

 Dhalpuri, Channa with Potato & Curried Goat - New Year's Menu

At the start of 2010, I felt sure that the year was going to be good for me. However, as it turned out, nothing much really changed in my life, no matter how hard I worked at it. The most memorable thing for 2010 was my trip back to Birmingham. Otherwise, I could have slept through the rest of the year! So, here's hoping that 2011 blesses me with lots of happiness...

Weird Fact: Take the last 2 digits of the year you were born plus the age you will be this year and it will equal 111. This year we will experience 4 unusual dates... 1/1/11, 11/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/11/11. Cool huh?