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Every culture has it’s own traditions for bringing luck into the new year but for the Southern culture, our traditions mainly revolve around the New Year’s Day meal.
On New Year’s Day, I cook the same dishes to bring luck, wealth, health and money throughout the new year. Below is a list of the traditional foods that you will find being served on most Southern tables on January 1st.
Hoppin’ John – There is not a clear story of how this soupy-type dish got it’s name but it represents a pot of good luck. Basically it includes pork, black eyed peas, rice and broth.
Cornbread – Southerners love cornbread but especially on New Year’s Day because it represents gold because of the color. Throw in some corn kernels and you will have some gold nuggets to boot.
Collard Greens – Greens represent the dollars. The more greens you eat, the more dollars you will have. I have to admit that I don’t even like collard greens but come New Year’s Day, I eat as much as I can stand so that I can get my green backs throughout the year.
Black-eyed Peas – These peas represent coins or pennies. Everyone knows that pennies add up so the more you eat, the more coins you can collect.
Pork – Don’t forget to pick your pork for New Year’s Day. Ham, bacon, pork chops, hog jowl or pork sausage it all represents the same on this day. Not only does the pork represent wealth, it also represents health and moving forward into the new year.
If you have a traditional meal that you serve on New Year’s Day, please leave comment below because I would love to hear from you. If you haven’t signed up for my weekly emails, there is a sign up form on the home page. Lastly but not least, I wish you a Happy New Year full of luck, wealth, health and love!
