Text 1809, 124 rader
Skriven 2005-04-24 11:58:38 av DAVE COBLE (1:123/140)
Ärende: New Year's Superstitions
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Besides getting tipsy and kissing everybody in the room at the stroke of
midnight, celebrants throughout the ages have observed numerous lesser-
known New Year's customs and superstitions. Many of the superstitions
associated with the event bear the common theme that activities engaged in
on that day set the pattern for the year to come. Others have to do with
warding off evil spirits or attracting luck.

Because January 1 is the first day of the new year, we have drawn a
connection between what we do on that day and our fate throughout the rest
of the year. Here are some of the ways we attempt to guarantee a good
outcome through our acts on that portentous first
day:

Kissing at midnight:   We kiss those dearest to us at midnight not only to
share a moment of celebration with our favorite people, but also to ensure
those affections and ties will continue throughout the next twelve months.
To fail to smooch our significant others at the stroke of twelve would be
to set the stage for a year of coldness.

Stocking Up:   The new year must not be seen in with bare cupboards, lest
that be the way of things for the year. Larders must be topped up and
plenty of money must be placed in every wallet in the home to guarantee
prosperity.

Paying Off Bills:   The new year should not be begun with the household in
debt, so checks should be written and mailed off prior to January 1st.
Likewise, personal debts should be settled before the New Year arrives.

First Footing:   The first person to enter your home after the stroke of
midnight will influence the year you're about to have. Ideally, he should
be dark-haired, tall, and good-looking, and it would be even better if he
came bearing certain small gifts such as a lump of coal, a silver coin, a
bit of bread, a sprig of evergreen, and some salt. Blonde and redhead first
footers bring bad luck, and female first footers should be shooed away
before they bring disaster down on the household. Aim a gun at them if you
have to, but don't let them near your door before a man crosses the
threshold. The first footer (sometimes called the "Lucky Bird") should
knock and be let in rather than unceremoniously use a key, even if he is
one of the householders. After greeting those in the house and dropping off
whatever small tokens of luck he has brought with him, he should make his
way through the house and leave by a different door than the one through
which he entered. No one should leave the premises before the first footer
arrives - the first traffic across the threshold must be headed in rather
than striking out.

First footers must not be cross-eyed or have flat feet or eyebrows that
meet in the middle.

Nothing prevents the cagey householder from stationing a dark-haired man
outside the home just before midnight to ensure the speedy arrival of a
suitable first footer as soon as the chimes sound. If one of the partygoers
is recruited for this purpose, impress upon him the need to slip out
quietly just prior to the witching hour.

Nothing Goes Out:   Nothing - absolutely nothing, not even garbage - is to
leave the house on the first day of the year. If you've presents to deliver
on New Year's Day, leave them in the car overnight. Don't so much as shake
out a rug or take the empties to the recycle bin. Some people soften this
rule by saying it's okay to remove things from the home on New Year's Day
provided something else has been brought in first. This is similar to the
caution regarding first footers; the year must begin with something's being
added to the home before anything subtracts from it.

One who lives alone might place a lucky item or two in a basket that has a
string tied to it, then place the basket just outside the front door before
midnight. After midnight, the lone celebrant hauls in his catch, being
careful to bring the item across the door jamb by pulling the string rather
than by reaching out to retrieve it and thus breaking the plane of the
threshold.

Black-Eyed Peas:   A tradition common to the southern states of the USA
dictates that the eating of black-eyed peas on New Year's Day will attract
both general good luck and money in particular to the one doing the dining.
Some choose to add other Southern fare to this tradition, but the black-
eyed peas are key.

Work:   Make sure to do - and be successful at - something related to your
work on the first day of the year, even if you don't go near your place of
employment that day. Limit your activity to a token amount, though, because
to engage in a serious work project on that day is very unlucky. Also, do
not do the laundry on New Year's Day, lest a member of the family be
'washed away' (die) in the upcoming months. The more cautious eschew even
washing dishes.

New Clothes:   Wear something new on January 1 to increase the likelihood
of your receiving more new garments during the year to follow.

Money:   Do not pay back loans or lend money or other precious items on New
Year's Day. To do so is to guarantee you'll be paying out all year.

Breakage:   Avoid breaking things on that first day lest wreckage be part
of your year. Also, avoid crying on the first day of the year lest that
activity set the tone for the next twelve months. Other superstitions
attaching to the beginning of the new year are:

Letting the Old Year Out:   At midnight, all the doors of a house must be
opened to let the old year escape unimpeded. He must leave before the New
Year can come in, says popular wisdom, so doors are flung open to assist
him in finding his way out.

Loud Noise:   Make as much noise as possible at midnight. You're not just
celebrating; you're scaring away evil spirits, so do a darned good job of
it!

According to widespread superstition,the Devil himself and other evil
spirits hate loud noise. We celebrate by making as much of a din as
possible not just as an expression of joy at having a new year at our
disposal, but also to make sure Old Scratch and his minions don't stick
around. (Church bells are rung on a couple's wedding day for the same
reason.)

The Weather:   Examine the weather in the early hours of New Year's Day. If
the wind blows from the south, there will be fine weather and prosperous
times in the year ahead. If it comes from the north, it will be a year of
bad weather. The wind blowing from the east brings famine and calamities.
Strangest of all, if the wind blows from the west, the year will witness
plentiful supplies of milk and fish but will also see the death of a very
important person. If there is no wind at all, a joyful and prosperous year
may be expected by all.

Born on January 1:   Babies born on this day will always have good luck on
their side.
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