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Happy New Year!

Gillian

By Gillian

14 comments


Happy New Year to all!
I was curious if anybody else has strange things they do to celebrate the new year.
At our house we send the darkest haired person (so we know they are clearly not a Saxon) out of the house just before midnight with a bag containing fuel, salt (to represent money) and bread (to represent food). They have to circle the house – not always easy in this weather – and be the first person to knock on the door and let into the house at midnight. This is meant to ensure a plentiful supply of fuel, money and food for the coming year.

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Comments

 

Similar to our lumps of coal routine Gillian , glad the dark haired people get involved as being blond with a beard get pretty busy at Christmas!

31 Dec, 2008

 

We used to send my brother to see people living in the street yrs ago. It was lucky to see a dark haired boy first thing in the new yr. Nobody wanted me - I was gingery.

We also used to go out to sing like carol singing at midnight.
Old traditions seem to have died out now.

31 Dec, 2008

 

I'm sure we intrigue the neighbours with some of our customs!

31 Dec, 2008

 

~it used to be a black haired man with a lump of coal and a piece of cake~my father being jet black haired was always popular!

1 Jan, 2009

 

My dad used to walk round block with money in pocket and always carried lump of coal however he never ever went out one door and in other because that was considered unlucky.

1 Jan, 2009

 

Happy New Year, Gillian

1 Jan, 2009

Ams
Ams
 

I have carried on the 'First footing with a lump of coal tradition' from my Mother (my home heating is all electric but hey).

1 Jan, 2009

 

Happy new year, loved reading this, i think the only 'tradition' around here is to get as drunk as possible and then make sure you are standing near that taisty fella/girly that you fancy ready for a midnight snog lol - ofcourse i no long partake in these activities anymore lol

1 Jan, 2009

 

Happy New Year Gillian. I have heard of this tradition but never done it. I remember my Mum talking about it from when she was a child.

1 Jan, 2009

 

Wow! I have heard of "First Footing" but never knew what it meant. I belong to a "card site" which has a card for "First Footing" but was afraid to send it to anyone for fear of offending. Now I know why the black dog carries the lump of coal. (I didn't even know it was a lump of coal until this blog.) Thanks for the education...

1 Jan, 2009

 

Happy New Year to you and yours Gillian...

1 Jan, 2009

 

Just catching up with blogs.
This is an interesting one. :o)

7 Jan, 2009

 

Happy new year too, my dad was always the one who got picked as he was the only one with dark hair off he went with his lump of coal, every year apparently!

10 Jan, 2009

 

Glad to find out we're not the only family that does this odd stuff!

10 Jan, 2009

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