BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Polish Culture New Year Traditions, Customs, Superstitions

Has anyone ever heard of the following or have any of their own customs to share?
...that before the midnight bells tolled for the New Year, you had to place some coins outside on your windowsill, so that when you brought the coins in after midnight, it meant you would have money coming in all year!
Also, at the beginning of the new year, the first person to enter the house must be a man with dark hair.
For good luck, serve pork and sauerkraut.

Dee,
The only thing that I can recall are the good luck herring

Dee. I heard about the dark haired man being the first person to enter the home but the coins being brought in are a mystery. I heard of the sauerkraut and pork for a New Years feast. Here at my home the custom is to eat twelve grapes before the last toll of the bell or before the ball in Times square finishes it's descent (Spanish Custom). The other custom is to have a big plate of Black-Eyed Peas as part of the New Years dinner (Southern). I hope you and your family as well as others in the forum have a wonderful and prosperous New Years. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

I remember pork and sauerkraut and peas being served New Years Day as a child. to this day it is our New Years Day dinner and we always invited someone to share this dinner with us.

Basia

Well Frank, I certainly hoped you knew something about the coins, as it was my Babka who insisted that we do this, so I thought it was a Polish custom.

Bob... I like the idea of eating the grapes...
had never heard of that one. You must have some Spaniards in the family.

Wishing you all a verrrry good year.

Speaking of the door... it must be opened at midnight to let the new year into your home. It won't be pretty if you leave the whole year just sitting outside on the doorstep all night! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Welcome, Basia... thanks for joining in here.
I think pork and sauerkraut are about the most popular new year dinner, even today.

And Eric... that's a good idea too, opening the door at midnight... but then a lot of people do go outside the house to welcome in the new year by making noises of all kind, whistles, fireworks... and to bring in their lucky coins.
I guess that's also letting in the new year.

In Russia, it's a popular tradition to go walking around town once the New Year has begun. People will light firecrackers everywhere, eat and drink, and generally be merry! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Yes, in Russia it is still quite popular to eat caviar and drink champagne while celebrating the new year. Russians' favorite champagne is still called "Sovetskoye" - no one would tolerate a change to the name! <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> By the way, I like my "Sovetskoye" prepared polisladkoye - meaning semi-sweet. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I was in Naples, Italy for one Christmas season and the warning went out "don't walk in the streets of Naples on New Years Eve". The custom here was to throw out something old out of the house at Midnight. Now the thing is, some of those old things came flying from balconies and if you and the object met on the streets below than you might have to visit a first aid clinic.
I was in the city New Years Eve but I was not in the streets. Caution was the rule. <img src="/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />