January, the first month, is named for Janus, the two-faced god. (Ianus in Latin since the Roman alphabet had no J) He could look backward to view the past and forward to greet the future. In virtually every culture at the conclusion of the year, thoughts turn to what has been and what will be. As the clock strikes midnight on New Year's Eve, loud noises fill the air to scare off the evil spirits of the past year. Fireworks, noise makers, pistol reports, the clang of pots and pans, Auld Lang Syne sang off-key, a cacophony of sundry sounds serenade us as we enter the new year.
The first visitor over the threshold after midnight is a portent of the new year. A dark-haired attractive person foretells good fortune. Ideally he/she should carry a lump of coal, a coin and a piece of corn or grain. These objects insure warmth, wealth and bounty for the upcoming year. Beware of redheads! For if a person with red hair should be the first through your door, a tumultuous year awaits. Less adventurous sorts have a dark-haired ringer waiting in the wings to guarantee an advantageous transition.
Not only the pandemonium you make, or the people who darken your doorway, but the food you serve on the first day of the year impacts the next 364. Many prepare pork, or other porcine products. Why pork? Because pigs root forward. Cows stand still and chickens scratch backwards. Symbolically, pork helps us prepare for what comes ahead. From the southern United States, by way of the Caribbean, comes the traditional New Year's dish - Hoppin' John - black-eyed peas cooked with ham hocks or fatback, rice and collard greens. Eaten on New Year's Day, this concoction bestows good fortune.
So as the new year approaches, look back fondly, look forward excitedly, but most importantly enjoy the now. The past is but a memory; the future but a dream. The present is to be savored. - as ever BB
"There is superstition in avoiding superstitions." - Francis Bacon
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