APPALACHIAN NEW YEAR
TRADITIONS
“Lang Mae yur lum reek wae ither folks coal,” says the old Scots-Irish New Year toast. Translated, it means, “May the fire on your hearth burn on.”
Why do I offer you a Scottish toast? West Virginia is made up of predominantly Scots-Irish descendants. Now, before you get all out of sorts because your ancestors were German, English, or French. Let me reiterate. I did say predominantly. Of course, West Virginia is home to an array of citizens from a devise group of nations.
Did you know that of the many states that make up the Appalachian Mountains, West Virginia is the only state in the Union that is completely within the Appalachian Plateau? Our Doddridge County is in what is called the foothills of Appalachia. I’m proud of that and I’m proud to be a strong-minded, independent, patriotic West Virginian, and that goes double for being an American.
Anyway… I digress. Let’s continue with this week’s story.
You probably already knew you weren’t going to see a ball drop, or a giant peach come slowly down in an Appalachian New Year celebration near you in West Virginia, but we do have some unique habits that we are proud to call our own.
I’ll start with the most common of all and one that is practiced throughout many regions and cultures of the world. That tradition would be the famous kiss at midnight. This custom has been handed down from both England and Germany.
Why is it important? That first kiss of the new year is about strengthening the ties you want to maintain in the future year. If a couple doesn’t take the time to kiss at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, legend says that it is bad luck for the couple’s relationship. If you are a single person, not kissing anyone means the year ahead will be a lonely one.
If you descend from the great nation of Scotland, you may know about the custom of kissing everyone in the room as the bells ring at the stroke of midnight. (Of course, it depends on the consent of the other individuals.)
That brings us to the subject of the Celtic-Teutonic Druids who used to present branches of their holy mistletoe plant as an auspicious New Year’s gift.
It’s not all about kissing and mistletoe from the sacred oak tree. There are many other ancient mistletoe traditions. Some of the best-known are the Norse, Greek, and Roman legends. Space does not allow for the description of all the legends, but you can look them up online and read about them. It’s quite fascinating.
One of the most common if you live in the country as we do is to step outside just before the stroke of midnight with your favorite hunting rifle and ‘fire” several shots into the air. It’s always been enjoyable to listen to the sounds of your neighbors as they join in on the holiday celebration concert. Some folks may complain that the bullets must come back to earth, and someone might get hurt or worse, be killed by the bullets’ return to earth. I have to say that in all my years on this planet, I have never known a family who experienced such a tragedy to happen to their family. Although I know it is possible, I can’t see this tradition ending soon.
Another tradition some folks have in the Appalachian hills is that they open every window and every door in their home at the stroke of midnight. This action is said to get rid of any residual bad luck of the year being left behind. To force the bad luck out, they create a loud commotion through much laughter by banging on pots and pans, and otherwise creating as much loud noise as possible to chase the bad luck as far away as possible.
Appalachia is known for its country churches and bell towers. With that, we often enjoy the ringing of the church bell that is joined with prayers for the new year that is upon us. This practice is called a “Watch Service”. Sadly, many of the modern churches today do not have a bell tower, at least in our area (Doddridge County).
Another early tradition was eating a large plate of black-eyed peas, greens, and hog jowls to make certain that you have a new year that is “healthy, wealthy, and wise”.
Around here, we tend to eat sauerkraut and pork on New Year to assure we have a prosperous future year. If you didn’t have any sauerkraut, you could substitute cooked cabbage and pork. But, if you were cooking cabbage, you were supposed to place a silver dime in the pot and whoever got the dime in their portion, received the most luck in the coming year.
Immigrants from Wales had a New Year tradition that I was told about by a friend of mine. She said that the family would spread ashes over the hearth at the fireplace on New Year’s Eve. When they woke the next morning. If there were footprints that pointed toward the front door, it meant that someone was going to die. If the footprints went into a bedroom, it meant there would be a new family addition to the family. The shape of a coffin made in the ashes also meant that someone was going to die, but if it was in the shape of a ring, it meant that there would be a wedding in the New Year.
It is bad luck to hang a calendar of the new year before the first day of that new year.
If there is no food in the pantry on New Year’s Day, it is destined to remain empty the entire year. So, make sure you stock up on your pantry supplies before the end of the year.
Also, I found this one a little annoying, (lol) If a man enters your home first on New Year’s Day, it will mean you will have good luck in the upcoming year. If a woman enters your house first, it will mean the opposite would happen. Talk about bias.
Another interesting one was something I had never experienced… Did you know that well water is said to turn to wine at midnight on New Year’s Eve? (Guess there is no need to bring the wine.)
Last but not least… there is the baby and the old man. I’m certain that most of you have heard of this one. Did you know that this tradition originated in ancient Greece? Still, we have to give credit to the German immigrants for adding the New Year’s banner. The baby is said to represent rebirth. The old man represents Father Time. Quite appropriate. Don’t you think?
I hope that everyone had a safe and happy New Year celebration as they said goodbye on “Hogmanay” (Scot-Irish for the last day of the year).
God Bless and Happy New Year
Patricia Richards Harris