For all my fellow superstitious people out there, I'm going to do you a solid by compiling a list of 10 things to do before, during, and after we ring in 2019. Some religions and cultures are very particular in the steps they take on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day but, these are just a few traditions my family takes and some I have learned from friends.
I mean hey, I'm still alive and doing great so they must be working?!?
1. New Year's Day Lunch/Dinner
Every single New Year's Day without fail I head over to my Noni and Popi's house and we eat a meal that consists of cabbage, pork, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and pork. Eating cabbage will bring you financial prosperity, black-eyed peas bring you good luck, pork brings you progress, and cornbread brings you gold for the new year! I despise black-eyed peas (yes, the music group too) but I always force myself to eat the smallest portions because I'm taking zero chances. The one year I missed the dinner, I ended up unable to get a job all summer long and I was broke. You bet that this year I won't make the same mistake and I will be stuffing my face with cabbage come January 1st.
2. Don't clean
This one might be an easy one to follow for everyone. By cleaning your house on New Year's Day, you are cleaning away all your good fortune. I mean hey, you don't have to ask me twice.
3. 12 Grapes at the stroke of midnight
My Aunt religiously practiced this one the most year after year. Mainly adopted from the Spaniard heritage in my family, eating 12 grapes as the clock strikes midnight (eating one for each strike up until midnight) on New Year's Eve will bring you good luck in the upcoming 12 months.
4. Enter your home on your right foot
If you are out partying into the new year, make sure when you enter the threshold of your home, you are entering on your right foot (literally). Doing this will ensure that you start out your year (figuratively) on the right foot. Hopefully, you aren't too tipsy to remember this one.
5. Kissing someone at midnight
Honestly, this is the most common one. By kissing someone at midnight, it will bring you luck in love in the upcoming new year. I'm not going to lie, I've never kissed someone at midnight on New Year's Eve. Maybe that's why I've been single for the past 5 years... Do you think my dog would count?
6. Don't cry
Pull yourself together man. If you cry at midnight or at all on January 1st, you are setting yourself up for a sad year. So if you are an emotional person, or just cry a lot, I'm going to need you to hold it together for a day. Hopefully, no one plans on proposing at midnight to someone who is a crier...
7. Open all your doors
If you are planning on staying in on New Year's Eve, make sure just before midnight you open all the doors to your home. By opening the doors you are letting the new year in and saying goodbye to the old year.
8. Don't remove anything from your home
Don't remove anything from your home on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. This includes taking out the trash. If you remove anything from your home, it means you will lose things in the upcoming year. Basically just don't do anything on New Year's Eve or New Year's Day.
9. Keep your wallet shut
On New Year's Day and New Year's Eve, make sure you don't loan any money out or payback any loans. Doing this could cause you a year of financial instability. So eat your cabbage and don't pay anyone back or take any money from people who owe you and you'll be swimming in cash in 2019!
10. Wear new clothes
I don't know about you, but New Year's Eve is my excuse to wear a brand new, super cute, super sparkly outfit and not get weird stares. Every year unintentionally I would buy and wear a brand new outfit. Little did I know that wearing new clothes on New Year's Eve will ensure an abundance of new clothes in the upcoming year.
