As a morning person, I seldom stay up past ten p.m. In fact, me making it 'til midnight even on New Year's Eve rarely happens. That being said, I'm all about ringing in 2021 as soon as my eyes are open on January 1st. And, at some point during the day, I'll be eating some black-eyed peas, not necessarily because I believe they'll bring me good luck but because my mom always served them to us on New Years Day.
A couple of days ago I saw something on Facebook posted on a group I'm in called "You Know You're From Texas When . . ." Here's that image:
Certainly, after the crazy-train ride 2020 has been, everyone can appreciate the humor in this sign!
I decided to do a little research on why so many Southerners feel compelled to eat black-eyed peas (which, technically are not peas but a type of bean), on New Year's Day. I learned that these Old World plants, domesticated in West Africa have long been associated with good luck and prosperity.
Like a lot of superstitions, the origin of why Southerners began believing that eating black-eyed peas would bring them luck has several explanations. One of the more interesting stories I found when Googling this history revolves around the Civil War. At that time, the legumes were considered animal food and not worthy of serving to General Sherman's Union troops. It's been said that when Union soldiers raided the Confederate's food supplies, they absconded with everything but their black-eyed peas and salted pork. Considering themselves fortunate to be left with these modest provisions, the Confederate soldiers were able to survive the winter and thus, believed the peas to be lucky.
There are also many traditions (and rules) related to serving and eating black-eyed peas. Some people advise cooking them with a new dime or penny or add a coin to the pot before serving. Whoever finds the coin in their portion will be extra lucky.
Others believe that you must eat exactly three hundred and sixty-five peas on New Year's Day. (Can you imagine counting all those beans out?) They insist that if you eat fewer, you'll only be lucky for that many days (I suppose on Leap Years you throw in an extra one! LOL). However, be aware: if you eat any more than three hundred and sixty-five peas, it turns those extra days into bad luck.
Another interesting ritual is believing that you should leave one pea on your plate, to share your luck with someone else (more of the humbleness that peas seem to represent). On the flip side of this theory, others say that if you don't eat every pea on your plate, your luck will be bad.
Lastly, It's also been said that if you eat only peas, and skip the pork, collard greens, and the accompaniments, the luck won't stick. They all work together or not at all.
Wow! Who thought there'd be so many complicated dos and don'ts for eating black-eyed peas?
As for me, I'm likely breaking all the rules because, on New Year's Day, my go-to black-eyed peas of choice look like this:
To be clear, I won't be eating three hundred and sixty-five black-eyed peas. (I'm sure there's not even that many in this can!) I won't be adding collard greens or coins but will douse the peas liberally with Sriracha Sauce, the same way I eat them on any other day of the year.
Although I'm not a superstitious gal, it is kind of fun to stick with tradition and enjoy these cute little peas on New Year's Day along with millions of other people.
I hope however you choose to kick off 2021, you'll have a "peas-ful" and prosperous new year!
Closet ClotheSure Week 48
Monday - This red and black velvet gown by Tahari Arthur S. Levine is not only flattering, but it's also extremely comfortable to wear. I love that it's the perfect length for my tall frame. Many times when I try on full-length skirts or dresses, they hit me at the ankles. This one, perfect for the holidays is a definite keeper!
Tuesday -
From White House Black Market, this short, little black dress has a touch of glimmer with nifty rows of black sequins. I've worn it numerous times and appreciate the way that it travels well (just fold and pack) for out of town events.
Although it's been in my closet for over a decade, I'll hang onto it for a while longer.
Wednesday -
This flirty black dress by Elie Tahari was given to me by my friend Janet and once belonged to her daughter Mandy. Many folks on social media chose this to be the piece I'd be parting with this week. They likely noticed that the bodice is a bit ill-fitting on me and doesn't lay nicely. I'll share that the reason for this is because Mandy had a little more "up-top" than me. I'm going to keep this dress (maybe I'll grow into it! LOL!) The cut is really feminine and though you can't see it in the photo, the dress looks stunning from the back where it drops dramatically almost to my waist.
Thursday -
Here's a strapless dress from White House Black Market:
My friend Bill commented on Facebook that it "fit me like a glove". Well, I'm going to have to come clean on this one! If Bill were to get a peek behind the scenes, he'd see that I was only able to get this dress zipped up 3/4's of the way! (Hey! I've told ya'll that this is a "no-judgment" blog!) One of the last of the size 6's in my closets, this is the one piece from Week 48 that has been donated. After all, you can't feel like a "ten" if you're not able to breathe!
Oh! And the sequinned gown at the top of this post is from NW Nightway. I love the color of this dress and have only had it for a couple of years so it's a keeper!
Closet ClotheSure Scorecard For The End of 2020:
Since February 3, 2020, I've worn 187 different things to work Monday through Thursday and donated 76 of them. This means I've kept 111 pieces and have a little more wiggle-room in my closets!
Incidentally, last February when my son Nick challenged me to see if I could go to the end of the year without wearing the same outfit twice, I was uncertain as to whether or not I could do it.
Closet ClotheSure was actually supposed to end on 12/31/20. Amazingly, I'm going to keep it going through the end of January 2021. I've eye-balled what's left in my closets and feel certain I can make it an entire year—or fifty-two weeks. As per the rules, I'll be getting rid of anything that doesn't make me feel like a "ten".
God bless ya'll!
love,
Monica
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