This page is dedicated to the memories and traditions
observed by the people of the ABE classes. Some of the stories are long
and some are brief, but all have special meanings and memories. Please
come and share them with us. There are even some kickin' recipes included.
Enjoy...and
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
For as long as I can remember
my family has always celebrated the "New Year" the same "Old Way". Friends
and family gather at a relative's house each bringing a dish. Each bringing
their resolutions, their wishes, their hopes for a new year. Most importantly...each
one bringing a branch of our family tree. We talk, laugh and cry over the
happenings of the outgoing year and dream of the possibilities on the new
one. Games are played, drinks are made, and the wonderful aroma of traditional
dishes fill the house. I should start at the beginning, shouldn't I?
I came along several years after the journey (the first official "Yankee"branch of our tree) It was several years after that when I first noticed that we did things differently than some of my friends' families around the 31st of December. My mother would spend the day washing the windows of our house with vinegar, water and newspaper. When I asked her "Why?" Her answer never made sense to me "So we can have a clean outlook of the New Year". The Christmas tree and all the Christmas decorations were taken down and packed away. Since my father did this, I asked him "Why?" "Never greet the New Year with Old Wishes..." "HUH?"
Around three in the afternoon, my mom used to make us kids take a nap, so we could stay up for the festivities. We would wake up a few hours later, get dressed and wait for the arrival of family and close friends. Sometimes the friends weren't close when they got there, but when they left....they could not have been closer. I would watch in total amazement, as my father would convince our guests to leave their wallets OUTSIDE on the sill!!! This would guarantee all a prosperous year, and you know what.....THEY ALL DID IT!!!
As I stated earlier, the house was soon filled with music, laughter, conversations and the wonderful smell of food that we had all year round, but for some reason they had special meanings on this night. At 11:45pm, my father would make the announcement, the paper cups would be filled with champagne or sparkling grape juice and everyone would crowd into the den to watch the ball drop. With 10 seconds left on the clock, everyone would start the countdown shouting "HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!" at the stroke of midnight. The house then became loud...people singing "Auld Lang Syne" (I don't know if anyone ever had the right words back then...but it didn't matter) and kissing and hugging everyone in sight. "Why?" "Because everyone should feel loved in a New Year..."
When the excitement died down, we would all take a plate and have a midnight meal of baked ham (for GOOD LUCK) Hoppin' John (for HEALTH) Collard Greens (for WEALTH) cornbread (for soppin' up the juice...my father's words) Before eating our meal, we would look around the room and give thanks for those who could and could not be with us. After our meal, we would look around again and give those same thanks.
It has been over 40 years since my parents made their journey up north. They have since moved on to a happier place. We will be entering a new millenium this year; starting a new century. It warms my heart to know that when January 1, 2000 comes in, I will be in the house of a loved one, surrounded with the sights, sounds and smells that I have come to treasure over the years. Happy...knowing that my parents did indeed keep their branches in touch with their roots...knowing that now the branches must extend this tradition to the limbs and keep the connection strong. We've added one new thing this year though.......everyone will have a candle.
Hey with this Y2K thing...ya never know.
When
we were kids (many years ago), simple things were more fun than they seem
to be today. Maybe that's because we had no "exciting technology" to compare
our "dull" simple lives to! We used to watch the ball in Times Square NYC,
N.Y. go down the poll to the new year on television. Yes, we did have black
and white T.V. (No VCR, or computers though!) We used to add to the excitment
by getting pots, pans and spoons, and banging to the celebration on T.V.at
12:00 midnight. Sound like fun??? It was at the time. My kids think I'm
a little crazy when they hear this. They say "Mom, you need to get out
more!"
Carole's Story
As a child years ago, my
family celebrated New Year's Eve the same way every year. My parents' friends,
Mr. & Mrs. Dean and their son would come to our house around 6 p.m.
on New Year's Eve. All the kids would play with our presents or watched
TV while the grown-ups played cribbage. There would be all kinds of snacks
to munch on during the evening. Meanwhile my Mum's spaghetti sauce would
be simmering for our late dinner.
Around 10 p.m. we would start eating our meal and get ready for the main event. At around 11 pm we would watch Guy Lombardo until the stroke of midnight when all the commotion of wishing everyone a Happy New Year and then the HUGGING and KISSING started!!!!!! Around 1 or 2 in the morning, the people would go home and it was BEDTIME.
New Year's Day would be spent with all my Mum's family that lived in town. We would get together for a big dinner and day at Gram's. Everyone would bring food, but it seems my Mum would bring the most. We always had some kind of pork on New Year's Day for luck in the new year. When my Gram passed away we would have the dinner at our place and my aunts that lived in Gram's house would come down for the day.
Then I grew up, and Mum still did the same New Year's Eve with her friends, and they stilled played cribbage and had spaghetti. I preferred to go out and haveFUN. But the next day was the same with the family: eating, talking, and having a good time. My dad passed away in 1971, but my Mum still welcomed the new year the same as she always did.
When I got married, we would go out on New Year's Eve
with our friends and my sister-in-law who would come up for a few days
from New Jersey to celebrate. Sometimes we would not get home until around
3 or 4 in the morning. Then it was back up early to go and help Mum with
the day's food and festivities. It seemed to be an awful long day. By now
there was just my Mum, my sister, her husband, my nephew, my husband, my
sister-in-law, my two aunts and of course me.
When my sister-in-law retired and moved up here we started
to stay home and have a great feast. My Mum still wanted to stay at home
and have a friend or two over to play cards and have spaghetti. Some years
we would have a big dinner of prime rib, scalloped oysters, and the rest
of the works with a great dessert. Oh, can't forget the shrimp cocktail
and the snacks that we consumed before the meal. Some times we would have
a buffet of different snacks, meats, fruits, and anything that we found
a new recipe for. I always made a fresh baked whole pineapple with cherries
and rum. I also would make drumsticks cooked in vodka and Worcestershire
sauce and seasoning that we loved. Then we would watch the programs that
were on TV that night. As the years progressed, instead of watching Guy
Lombardo we started watching the different variety of New Year Eve shows
they had on. Then it came time again for that HUGGY AND KISSY stuff.
Then to BED, YA!!!!!!
Now, that my sister-in-law died in 1995, my husband and I celebrate alone. We usually pig out on another great meal, have a couple of drinks, and usually fall asleep before midnight. We somehow manage to wake up just in time for the HUGGY AND KISSY stuff. Mum still does the same except she does it a little earlier and is usually to bed before midnight. On New Year's Day, I help Mum with our scaled down dinner as it is just the three of us. Once in awhile we go out to a restaurant but it's not the same as eating at home with just us. So, here we are old ways to new ways which in turn is: when we had OLD WAYS we were YOUNG and when we have NEW WAYS we are OLD. FUNNY, HUH??????
In Somalia, we celebrate
two holidays as all Muslims do. These holidays are called Iids.
The first one comes after the Holimonth call Ramadaan. This Month
all Muslims whom are older than 15 years of age must fast, although some
people don't obey all of God's rules. All Muslim people will not eat from
sun rise to sun set of the of the Holimonth. This Holimonth in the year
1999 is from Dec. 9, to Jan. 9, 2000. The Holimonth always ends at 29th
or 30th no more than 30 days, and the 31st is the first Iid day.
On this day all the Muslims come together and pray, and all Muslims are reguired to give something to the poor people. This is call Zaca. It is a very important part of the holiday. All the famliy get together. We make special foods for that day. Children receive money from other members of the family. about two or three months later the other Iid comes. We do the same things.
The most memorable New Year I remember was the New Years of 1949. I was living on Ashland Street in North Adams, Massachusetts with my Mom and Dad and nine siblings. It was a very warm December and had rained for a few days. We had recently put up our Christmas tree but the gifts weren't under it yet. The river was rising rapidly, and everyone was concerned about having to leave their homes. All of the men in town were out trying to block the water with sandbags. I remember the water almost touching the bottom of the Holden Street Bridge. No one was allowed to leave their homes because it was to dangerous.
Soon the Hoosac River overflowed it's banks and we all had to be evacuated. I remember seeing rowboats and water instead of our yard. Two firemen made a seat with their hands and carried a neighbor to one of the boats. We were taken to the North Adams Armory for temporary shelter. The next day we were all taken to the Y.M.C.A. There were several families and many children. We all slept on army cots in the gym and ate in a chow line. Chlorine was put in the drinking water and the taste was horrible. I wouldn't drink it.
After three or four days the water receded and we returned to our home to see what we could salvage. Our cellar had been full of water and we could tell by the marks on the walls that there had been about four feet of water in the house. There was mud and silt all over everything. Our Christmas tree was in the middle of the living room on it's side and very muddy. All of the decorations were broken. I guess that upset me alittle. Everything was a massive MESS.
My brothers and sisters and I met a lot of new people and also spent time with people from our own neighborhood that were in the same situation. Eating in a chow line and sleeping in a barracks is a real high adventure when you are only 11 years old. Because of my age and my innocence it was one of my favorite New Years.
Do you have any memories and/or traditions that are done
to welcome in the New Year?
Is it something that your family has done for years or
or something that you just started?
If you'd like to share them with us, please e-mail us,
and we will gladly add them to this site. Thanx!
This page designed by Hahcie and Rose
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