New Year's in Mexico

Celebrating Traditions

As new year’s day approaches, I was curious to explore food traditions. I remember learning that southerner’s in the US eat black eyed peas for good luck on new year’s day. This was a weekly staple for my upbringing in a Greek Cypriot family in East TN. I was with family so I never knew about the southern tradition until adulthood. 

In Greek culture, we make a sweet bread, put a ‘lucky’ coin in it and cut up the pieces for God, the house we live in, and each family member beginning with the oldest to the youngest. We are definitely eating meat at the gathering with family. On January 6th, we make the Greek sweet, loucoumades, or honey puffs. If you’ve ever been to a Greek Fest, usually there is a booth making them fresh.

I am learning that in Mexico, celebrations for Christmas endure for a month and a half centered around the Lady of Guadalupe or Mother Mary for the Catholics and Orthodox. This includes fireworks all hours of the day and night. As soon as December 1st arrived this year, expats on Facebook forums were asking, ‘what is that noise?’ Many were annoyed with the disruptions posting pictures of their traumatized dogs. 

Another thing that I have learned is underwear….yes, you heard correctly! In Mexico, people wear yellow underwear to bring in the new year with prosperity and red underwear for romance. Black underwear is bad luck, and I think I will start paying more attention to my choice of under garments when in Mexico for new year’s for fun.