It’s Tradition
by Valerie Nusbaum
It was New Year’s Eve 1993. Randy and I were in the early days of our relationship, and we decided to impress each other and celebrate in a big way. We went to the Holiday Inn in Frederick, where our deluxe package included not only the room, but also dinner, a dance and party, and breakfast the next morning. There was a telephone in our bathroom, which fascinated me for some reason and I remember calling a lot of people. I’ve said it before. It doesn’t take much to impress me.
I was dressed in an emerald green satin brocade cocktail dress with matching jacket, and wearing all manner of bling. It was the ‘90s. Don’t judge me. Randy was dashing in his navy pinstripe suit with a red tie, and we dined on surf and turf. At the party, an inebriated man sprayed Silly String in my hair. Contrary to the writing on the can, that stuff does not easily comb out. I think we stayed until just after midnight to ring in the New Year, and then we went to sleep. We’ve never been party animals.
Flash forward a few years to New Year’s Eve 1996. As often happens during the holidays, I had been fighting a flu bug. I put on my pajamas and got into bed with my blankie to watch the ball drop on television, but I couldn’t stay awake. I awoke sometime later to find myself wearing a party hat, with a noisemaker stuck in my mouth. I was covered in confetti and littered with empty bottles and glasses. The next morning, Randy showed me the photos that he’d taken to commemorate the occasion. He was proud of himself. I guess he got bored all alone on New Year’s Eve.
Three years later, in 1999, I remember us sitting on the edge of the couch at midnight, waiting for the lights to go out and things to explode. All the hype about Y2K had everyone in a tizzy, but when nothing had happened by 12:30 a.m., we went to bed.
New Year’s Eve seems to be a time for traditions, as we celebrate the birth of a new year and reflect upon the events of the previous twelve months. There are parties and champagne, music and dancing, and fireworks. And since 1907, the people of New York City have dropped a large ball at the stroke of midnight. We sing “Auld Lang Syne,” and we kiss the one we’re with—and sometimes we kiss other people, too. Ask Randy about that when you see him.
December 31 is the last day of the Gregorian calendar and that’s the date on which we celebrate New Year’s Eve pretty much all over the world. Julius Caesar is credited with declaring January 1 as the start of the new calendar year, but earlier celebrations date back as far as 4,000 years ago, when a religious festival called Atiku went on for eleven days and praised the barley harvest, thought to have been in what we now call March.
Traditions have grown out of the celebrations. People in Spain eat a dozen grapes just before midnight, with each grape representing hope for the coming months. Legumes are consumed because they resemble coins and are thought to enhance financial success; for example, Italians eat lentils and American Southerners eat black-eyed peas. In Sweden and Norway, people eat a rice pudding containing an almond, and whoever finds the almond is promised twelve months of good fortune—right after paying for having his or her broken tooth repaired.
Pigs are believed to represent prosperity, so pork is served on December 31 in Cuba and Argentina. I know that a lot of my friends and family swear that eating cabbage on January 1 will bring money in the New Year. I do that one, too. It can’t hurt, and I like cabbage and Brussels sprouts. Randy won’t eat either of those things, but then, his favorite vegetable is macaroni and cheese and he puts gravy on it.
The practice of making New Year’s resolutions is believed to date back to the ancient Babylonians, where they promised (or resolved) to pay debts and return borrowed items in order to gain the favor of the Gods. Randy and I don’t really make resolutions any more. We do set goals, and we track them throughout the year. I met all of mine for 2015, but I gave myself easy things to do. Most people resolve to do the hard stuff like losing weight, exercising more, and being better people. Whatever.
There have been a lot of other New Year’s Eves for us. A couple of them were spent with family and friends, and a few were celebrated with dinner at The Shamrock or Cozy Restaurant. I cooked Cornish game hens one year, and another year we got takeout seafood for dinner. It occurs to me that our only New Year’s Eve tradition seems to be spending it together and getting some sleep, and that’s just fine by me. Happy New Year!
