Superstition - Part XII New Year's Eve

It is believed that cupboards stocked up with food and wallets and purses full of money bring prosperity in New Year. Similarly, empty pockets or empty cupboards on New Years Eve portend a year of poverty.

Many traditions call for a window to be opened a few minutes before midnight on New Year's Eve, in order to let out bad luck and welcome in good luck for the New Year. At midnight, all the doors of a house must be opened to let the old year escape unimpeded.

The devil and his servants hate din and loud noise so to scare them away by you should be as loud in New Year celebrations. Church bells are rung at midnight for the same reason.

Kissing at midnight ensures that affections and ties will continue throughout the New Year. It is also said that to not do this would be to set the stage for a year of coldness.

The direction of wind during sunrise on New Year morning prophesies about the coming year. Wind from south foretells fine weather and prosperous times ahead while wind from north foretells bad weather. Wind blowing from east foretells natural calamities and wind from west foretells plenty of milk and fish for all but death of a person of great national importance. No wind means joy and prosperity throughout the year.

Unexpected visitors were a cause for concern on New Year's Day, since the appearance of another person meant a year full of company for the household. If a man visited a home unannounced on New Year's, it was considered a sign of good luck. An unannounced woman, however, was a sign that a troubled year lay ahead.

Some believed that no one should enter the home from the outside world without bringing in something from outside, to ensure a year of prosperity for the family within. It is also believed that nothing should be carried outside on New Year's Day, to avoid carrying out the family's good luck for the year to come.

To dance in the open air, especially round a tree, on New Year's Day ensures luck in love and prosperity and freedom from ill health during the coming twelve months.

Avoid breaking things, crying and wailing on the first day of the year, if you don't want to continue the pattern for the entire year.

In several countries, people do not let money, jewelry, precious items or other invaluable things leave home on New Year Day. You should also not pay loans and bills or lend things to anybody. People go to the extent of not taking out garbage or even not dusting their carpets on this day to ensure that nothing goes out of home during the year. If you have to deliver presents on New Year morning, it is advised to leave them in the car since New Year Eve on December 31st.

Mountain superstitions dictate that the traditional meal for New Year’s day is black-eyed peas and hog jowl. The black-eyed peas are served in heaping helpings because each pea or bean eaten is a guarantee of done day of good luck. Hog jowl is also considered good luck.

You should only do a token amount of work on New Year’s Day to ensure advancement in your career, and starting a serious work project is unlucky. Working hard at a task will guarantee a year of hard labor, since whatever deeds are performed will influence a person's actions for the rest of the year. It is also believed that washing dishes and doing laundry on New Year's day will lead to a death in the family during the year. Many people do not even wash hair on New Year day.

Any superstition that tells me I shouldn’t wash dishes or do laundry is one I can really get behind. :-)

May you have nothing but luck in the New Year.