NEW YEAR’S DAY IN THE MOUNTAINS

People in the mountains have their own traditions and superstitions about New Years. The biggie, shared by other areas in the south and by southerners who moved north and west, is the tradition of eating black eyed peas on New Year’s Day. However, in the mountains, it is not only the black eyed peas, but Appalachians also require that they be accompanied by greens, and pork—peas for luck, greens for wealth, and pork for moving forward. The more greens you eat, the more money you will have. As for pork, pigs cannot move their heads from side-to-side, so they represent moving forward into the new year. While eating black eyed peas is said to assure good luck in the coming year, it is the dire warning that keeps the most reluctant fan of the dish spooning away. Not eating them means BAD LUCK!Black eyed peas were grown in the south for livestock feed but were soon found at the table of African slaves. After the “recent unpleasantness” as the Civil War was called in the South, black eyed peas kept many a southern family from starving, elevating the peas’ status. While their post-Civil War role has been lost to history, their lofty status remains in the southern psyche—black eyed peas mean survival even in the worst of times!So, of course, if you are a guest at Applewood Manor on New Year's Day, you will have black eyed peas for breakfast!