Folklore and superstition run deep here in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee and Southwestern Virginia. This part of the country has always been a hard place to make a living. I imagine as these sayings were told, it wasn’t so much  truth as just saying, “Why take chances?”

One of these old sayings is the tradition of having cabbage, greens, black eye peas, and hog jowls for New Years Day. Having eaten these, you are assured of money and good luck for the coming year. The cabbage is for money-greens is for “green backs” -black eye peas are for luck. And the hog jowls? I think that was just thrown in there to make the others taste better.

My mom went one step farther and insisted that how many times you swept the floor that day was how many new dresses you would get the next year. (I think she may have made this one up to assure a clean house).

This is also the day to take down your Christmas Tree. Any time sooner and you will surely have a  bad Christmas next year. And if you are really superstitious, you will wait until the next day.

I am sure this sounds silly to most people, and I am no longer superstitious about it, but I still do it for traditions sake. Every New Year Day finds me cooking my traditional dinner of cabbage, black eye peas, greens, mashed potatoes, and corn bread. I forgo the hog jowls. And even if  it doesn’t bring money and good fortune to my door, it surely can’t hurt to put a few vegetables in the body after all of those Christmas treats.

Oh, and by the way-I will diligently sweep that floor until it shines!