Fishing on the Net

By Bonnie Nelson

New Year’s Eve Facts and Superstitions

2007 is almost over and next week brings in the New Year.  How do you celebrate?  Do you hold to time-honored traditions?  Or do you make your own traditions.

It was traditionally thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the new year by what they did or ate on that first day. Therefore, it is become common for people to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Parties last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year, and it was once believed that the first visitor on New Year’s Day would bring either good or bad luck the rest of the year. It was particularly lucky if that visitor happened to be a tall dark-haired man.

Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes “coming full circle,” completing a year’s cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year’s Day will bring good fortune. In the U.S. many consume black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and the meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity.

Cabbage is another “good luck” vegetable that is consumed on New Year’s Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency.  http://wilstar.com/holidays/newyear.htm

New Year’s Eve resolutions began around 4,000 B.C. The Babylonians began the new year by paying off debts and bringing back borrowed goods. It was about 2000 years later that the Romans started the new year by assessing the old year and vowing to accomplish more in the coming year.
Here are some interesting statistics

* 63% of people are still keeping their resolutions after the first two months.

* 67% of people actually make 3 or more resolutions.

* The top resolutions usually involve promises to exercise more, increase the time devoted to study or work, lose weight, stop smoking or drinking, and eat healthier.

* People make more resolutions to start a new habit (84%) , than to break an old one (16%).

* Of those who successfully achieved their top resolution, 40% of them did so on the first attempt. The rest made multiple tries, with 17% finally succeeding after more than six attempts (http://www.goalsguy.com/Events/n_facts.html).

To reach this columnist,  email her at waltbon@comcast.net.

CONTACT THE WRITER • WALTBON@COMCAST.nET

BONNIE'S ARCHIVES
4-11-07 | 4-18-07 | 4-25-07 | 5-2-07 | 5-9-07 | 5-16-07 | 5-23-07 | 5-30-07
6-6-07 | 6-13-07 | 6-20-07 | 6-27-07 | 7-4-07 | 7-11-07 | 7-18-07 | 7-25-07
8-1-07 | 8-8-07 | 10-24-07 | 11-1-07 | 11-5-07 | 11-12-07 | 11-26-07 | 11-28-07 | 12-5-07
12-12-07