When I was a kid, I used to think that New Years day is the biggest thing that would happen in the whole year. My parents would wake me up at exactly 12mn of NY Eve, my Pa would lift me up, my Ma would make me jump 3 times, the girls in the neighborhood would drum or bang their pans together, the boys would go out to light up some fireworks. For that first minute of the year, everyone was just laughing, making noises like crazy, jumping, and doing all sorts of chaotic things. When the noise subside and we're left with nothing but smoke and dust, then we will all have our Media Noche together.
I remember feeling silly about it. My Ma would sometimes end up with a broken pot or pan, my Pa left with very little money because he bought so much fire crackers and fireworks, and the kids would wake up late that morning because well, we all slept late. It felt ridiculous because if one is really being superstitious, wouldn't it be much better to start the year well rested, with a pocket full of money and a kitchen so spic and span?
I've spent new years with several different people and each of them has their own sets of superstitious beliefs.
12 round fruits on the table
This is the one superstition that I will never forget because all families I've spent new years with have the same. According to them, each fruit represents the month of the year and if you have 12 round fruits on the table and it's there when the clock strikes 12MN, you'll have abundance althroughout the year. I have always loved fruits and apparently, one should not eat the fruits on display until it's past midnight.
Just to be a bit extra, my mom would hang 12 grapes on the door to invite luck for each month of the year. I love picking the grapes. It just feels like a waste to just let them hang there to dry when they're really expensive.
No chicken on new years
No matter how delicious roasted chicken may be, chicken is not allowed in some new years eve tables. According to them, chicken symbolizes poverty because isang kahig, isang tuka. Like it's the chicken's fault that people have so much bills and debts leaving them living on paycheck to paycheck. 馃檮
Sticky rice is a must
Biko is my mom's specialty. Every year, I look forward to her special Biko. I love it when she would make me an extra plate just for me and nobody's allowed to touch that special plate of biko because it's all mine.
My mom would always put biko on the table because to her, it would help the family to stick together for the entire year. Now, I strongly disagree with this one. My brother almost had a firecracker accident because of the sticky rice. To be fair, it wasn't my mom's or her biko's fault. My brother loves her biko, but he also loves lighting up the firecracker. Those two shouldn't really go together. The triangle got stuck on his hand, it took a while for it to drop because his fingers were sticky. Silly! Had he got into an accident, he would have almost cost my my yearly special biko!
money tree/money bowl/anything with money
My mom joined this trend some years ago. I'd loved to be there at her house on new years just to tease her with missing 1k bills from her money bowls. LOL! I'm not sure what this trend is all about but lots of families put uncooked rice in a bowl, some eggs - I think 12 for each month - then some chocolate coins (those with golden wrapper) then roll some money bills, and stick those in the rice.
Just like the bowl of 12 round fruits, this money bowl does the same thing (I think) - attract money for the next 12 months. I guess they devised this because there are families that couldn't finish all of the fruits they put on display and just ends up rotten. Not really a good thing for New Year's to end up with so much food waste.
The table should have plenty of food
Speaking of food wastage, another ridiculous practice is people putting so much food on the table when everyone would just eat very tiny servings. I don't know about you but when it's really late at night, around all the noise and chaos, horns blown, firecrackers cracking, fireworks working, I usually don't get in the mood to eating that much. I would visit some relatives and friends on new year's day - the morning or 2 after - and I would see leftovers after leftovers of food from that new year's eve. Apparently, it's a symbol of abundance if you have a lot of food on the table.
And lastly All the noise!
Whoever made the whole world believe that bad spirits will be driven away by loud noises sure made a whole lot of fortune with fireworks. When my daughter was born, we've tried our best to stay away from all the noise especially on the first few years. I would book an AirBnB or simply just shut all the windows and doors and stay inside our bedroom.
So far, I haven't encountered any terrible spirits despite the fact that our house doesn't make that much noise on new years. I don't know, it could also be that I am the bad spirit. LOL. Who knows?
You don't have to do it too.
'Fickle Fate' is a vicious goddess who brings no permanent good to anyone.
-The Richest Man in Babylon
There's so much more beliefs that a lot of families like to observe during new year's. I notice that much of the practices done by families are to attract money. They want to do what would make them lucky. Some would say it works, others believe otherwise. I'd like to think people do it because they got used to it. I used to do it because it brought back childhood memories. It makes me smile. But to relive that memory, I didn't want to go through all the hassle of preparing things in celebration of just one night. I'd rather just spend my energy on things that indeed matter to me. As for me and my household, there'll be no extravagance practiced for this last dinner of the year. There'll be no extra measures to woo and attract luck. There'll be no unnecessary practices at all. We'll just have dinner, sleep, and then wake up refreshed into the new year, ready to start another day.
How about you? Are there any new year's practice that you'll continue or prefer to put a stop?