Why do you eat black-eyed peas on New Years Day?

reply to post by littled16


Happy new years to you also!

Thanks for the invite,but I got my own little masterpiece cooking up.

reply to post by littled16


Arugula Salad, Lobster, Scallops and Beef Tips!

Actually I'd heard of the tradition from a friend of mine years ago and wondered how it got started myself.

Originally posted by newcovenant
reply to post by littled16

 

Arugula Salad, Lobster, Scallops and Beef Tips!

Dang! I could go for some of that too!
Yummy yummy!

Could it be because BEP are Fergalicious?

Actually I am waiting in hopes that a Scotch or Irish member chimes in. Most southern US cultural legacies can be traced back to the Scotch/Irish influences, as most of the earliest settlers in this region came from those countries.

reply to post by Hefficide
Actually Heff I'm pretty sure the part about the black-eyed peas symbolically being considered eyes and thus representing fertility and abundance stems from Scottish/Irish lore.

That's a great (sad) story Heff!

I'm from the northeast and over 40 and just heard of this tradition today. Though I did make pork and sauerkraut a few days ago...

Happy New Year everyone!

reply to post by littled16


All right, I did some digging and this is the most interesting article I could find on the Sauerkraut tradition that me and my family has held for generations......

There are plenty of reasons why sauerkraut and pork is considered the traditional New Year's dinner here. Most of them are tied to folklore or ethnic traditions — all of which claim that eating sauerkraut (or cabbage) and pork will bring good luck and prosperity in the new year. Immigrants from Germany and across Eastern Europe brought the sauerkraut and pork tradition to Northeast Ohio. The practice probably has more to do with harvest and slaughter times than predicting good fortune.

In years past, food in the larder for winter was the equivalent of prosperity. Having a hog to slaughter and pork to eat at New Year's meant a family would have food for the winter months.

Because cabbage is a late fall crop, the most efficient way to preserve it for the winter was by turning it into sauerkraut. Brining cabbage takes 6 to 8 weeks, which means that October kraut would be ready to eat just as the new year was arriving.

Source

reply to post by seeker1963
Thank you seeker! Now we have some insight into the saurkraut/cabbage traditional meal as it pertains to your neck of the woods. I believe if people stopped to think about things for a bit we would realize that many of our different cultures have more in common than we ever thought.

Great information seeker!

reply to post by seeker1963


Thats a good explanation if I ever heard one.

Makes sense why it has never brought me luck. Instead of bringing luck, maybe it was originally perceived as you were lucky enough to have it on New Years.

reply to post by nixie_nox

Thats a good explanation if I ever heard one.

Makes sense why it has never brought me luck. Instead of bringing luck, maybe it was originally perceived as you were lucky enough to have it on New Years.

Glad you all enjoyed it as much as I did!



It makes total sense and now I at least have an understanding as to why I had to eat that crap every New Years!

I'm a frost - back here, and quite coincidentally, just come home from a dinner that included cabbage. I have never heard of this before, so this thread was timely in appearing.


All I can say, is... huh.

Yuppers, pork and kraut gal here!! I have eatten pork and sauerkraut every New Year's Day since I can remember!! I have made many variations over the years, sometimes I'll slice up some apple and add some brown sugar, sometimes I'll put in a sliced onion and some fresh pressed garlic, I've even done apple cider vinegar and cracked black pepper! No matter how I chose to make it, it's always served with real mashed potatoes and always, always, ALWAYS the very first thing my family eats on New Year's day!!

I always knew it was for "good luck" in the coming year, however I took "tradition" to a "superstition" level! My kids put up with it, in fact they look forward to it (much like all my holiday meals, I fancy myself quite the little chef lol)!! However, I've never heard of the black eyed peas and collard greens! Maybe we'll try that next year!?

Thanks OP, this is quite an enjoyable and yummy topic

I call them purple hull peas.. but I cooked black eyed peas, greens ( mustard greens) and hog jowl, honey cornbread, and candied yams. My grandmother used to wake the dead banging on pots and pans at midnight.

Good question! My mom and grandmother have always gone with this tradition as well. No one else around these parts seems to have heard of it though. My grandmother did live in the southern states at one point..so I'm thinking that's where she picked it up and brought it here.

I was actually thinking of making a similar thread complete with some folk lore research. You beat me to it though

Rest assured, I just finished eating some black-eyed peas and collard greens only minutes before finding your thread! Yum!

reply to post by littled16



New Year’s Day Tradition – Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s has been considered good luck for at least 1,500 years.

According to a portion of the Talmud written around 500 A.D., it was Jewish custom at the time to eat black-eyed peas in celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

It’s possible that the tradition arrived in America with Sephardic Jews, who first arrived in Georgia in the 1730s. Common folklore tells that the tradition spread after the Civil War.

The Northern Army considered the black-eyed peas to be suitable only for animals, so they didn’t carry away or destroy the crops.

There are a variety of explanations for the symbolism of black-eyed peas.

One is that eating these simple legumes demonstrates humility and a lack of vanity.
The humble nature of the black-eyed pea is echoed by the old expression, “Eat poor on New Year's, and eat fat the rest of the year.” Another explanation is that dried beans loosely resemble coins. Yet another is that because dried beans greatly expand in volume, they symbolize expanding wealth.

Originally posted by newcovenant
reply to post by littled16

 

New Year’s Day Tradition – Black-Eyed Peas and Greens

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s has been considered good luck for at least 1,500 years.

According to a portion of the Talmud written around 500 A.D., it was Jewish custom at the time to eat black-eyed peas in celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

It’s possible that the tradition arrived in America with Sephardic Jews, who first arrived in Georgia in the 1730s. Common folklore tells that the tradition spread after the Civil War.

The Northern Army considered the black-eyed peas to be suitable only for animals, so they didn’t carry away or destroy the crops.

There are a variety of explanations for the symbolism of black-eyed peas.

One is that eating these simple legumes demonstrates humility and a lack of vanity.
The humble nature of the black-eyed pea is echoed by the old expression, “Eat poor on New Year's, and eat fat the rest of the year.” Another explanation is that dried beans loosely resemble coins. Yet another is that because dried beans greatly expand in volume, they symbolize expanding wealth.

Thats hilarious.. its a tradition in my family as well... and my parents were born on rez and my mom moved back and lives there right now. A bunch of folks keep with this tradition there. Maybe we are the missing tribe... BWHAHAHA! Im callin her now..

You must understand what a sticking point this is to get why its so funny.. ndn folks being lost jews is about as much of a arguing point as people claiming we are actually Asians I dont care either way personally, but this might touch off an intratribal war amongst some folks now..

reply to post by Hefficide


wow what an interesting bloody post
Hope you have a good year, bro