What are your New Year’s Traditions? I only have a few. The first is to eat pork and sauerkraut on New Years Day. The sauerkraut will have a shiny dime hidden in it, and whoever finds it is assured of good fortune throughout the New Year. I will sing “Auld Lang Syne” and watch the Tournament of Roses Parade. I may even sneak a peek of the rose Bowl, considering the local boys, the Buckeyes will be playing…If nothing better is on the tube, that is.
While Southerners, like myself, eat black-eyed peas on New Years Day, I have never been able to stand them, so I’ll go with the Germans on New Years. Italians serve lentils, which I like, but in Ohio the most popular way to ring in the new year is by stinking up the kitchen with a steaming pot of sauerkraut and pork.
There are several 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.
A Pennsylvania Dutch tradition says that it's good luck to eat pork for the new year because pigs forage forward for their food and don't look back. i can get behind that.
Don’t know where the idea to put the dime into the pot came from, but it is a tradition I remember from my childhood, so I will carry it forward once again. Truthfully, I can use all the luck I can muster this year.
PORK & KRAUT:
2 or 3 lb. boneless pork roast sprinkled with salt & pepper
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 jar sauerkraut with juice
1 dime
4-6 potatoes, peeled and cut in large chunks
Season and brown the pork roast in oil. Put in oven proof pan. Pour in one jar of sauerkraut and hide the dime in the sauerkraut. Sprinkle brown sugar over kraut. Bake, covered at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Add potatoes to pan, tossing with pan juices, cover and bake an additional 1-11/2 hours.
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Comments: 17
GO BUCKEYES!~ :)
My only new year tradition is to wake up and not throw up.
Our Filipino traditions involve the wearing of anything with polka dots in it (round things signifying money, riches and good luck for the coming year of course).
Pockets should be filled with bills and coins and at the stroke of midnight, the coins should be jiggled loudly to welcome the new year and to entice more good luck in the coming year...
The paying off of old debts before the old year is over is encouraged (yeah, sure... the banks would like that very much)...
The firing off of fireworks is a must. New Years Eve is the noisiest day of the year in the Philippines where it all culminate at midnight. It is believed that making noise with fireworks, clanging pots and pans, car horns blowing, church bells ringing, bands playing, sirens shrieking, and other noise makers will help to drive evil spirits and bad luck away.
Housewives open all their windows wide and turn all lights on in their homes, sweep evil out and welcome good graces in.
There is always Media Noche, a Midnight Meal which is served after the Midnight Mass to anybody who stops at anyone's house--- an overabundance of Filipino food that is the hallmark of Filipino dining. We used to go from house to house sampling goodies served or just hang out at our favorite relatives' house. :-)
Manigong Bagong Taon, Donna
Manigong Bagong Taon din sa iyo, Ducky!
Wow... You know a bit of Tagalog? I am impressed!
I remember another tradition... we youngins had to jump as high as we could when midnight struck the hour... it was believed that the higher we jumped, the higher we'd grow the following year. I guess I was a low jumping duck.
I have to admit, I looked up a proper response...I'm not all that impressive..lol
As an american family tradition, we work a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle on a table in the living room, and wait for our teenagers to get home safely. Then we put on hot tea and we sit up all night working the puzzle...
I remember a few years that mirrored EmJay's tradition!
The german influence is a tough one to beat.
Wilka
I sometimes put an apple or two in my pork, but to be honest, I usually forget until it is about done, then whack myself upside the head for forgetting.