New Year’s Family Traditions

...is this week's Word on the Street!

According to Quora.com the tradition of eating certain foods on New Year’s Day dates back over 1,500 years with people of Jewish descendants migrating to Georgia and eating black eyed peas to bring about good luck. I spoke with several people in the Miami Valley and asked them if their families had any traditions involving food New Year’s Day and received the following responses:

Carl McCrary, who lives in Maryland replied, “Yes, my mom makes black eyed peas, collard greens, spareribs, sauerkraut, potatoes, ham, and cornbread every New Year’s Day.

Yousif Altufaili, who works in the Miami Valley in health and fitness responded, “We usually have a feast that we have with the family and we spread it to whoever needs it. We have traditional Arab dishes. We do it once a year to celebrate Ramadan and the day changes each year.”

Melissa Bronston, who is a teacher in the Columbus school district and lives in the Miami Valley said, “Every year on New Year’s Day my family makes black eyed peas for luck, collard greens for luck, cornbread, ribs, coleslaw, baked beans, and cabbage rolls from a special recipe that my grandmother taught us includes ground beef and pork, rice, and sauerkraut.