Why Do We Eat Black Eye Peas On New Years

I was discussing with my brother what we were fixing for Thanksgivings Day diner and the usual things like collards, cabbage, pork, ( for those that eat it), cornbread and black eye peas came up. Personally, I’m not that fond of black eye peas and the conversation drifted to why black eye peas? Of course we all know the from our mothers and grandmothers the foods represents prosperity for the new year. Collards represent money, and from what I read, each mouthful represents $1000.00. I love collards,  so I should be a millionaire by the end of the year. Cabbage is supposed to represent prosperity, pork is also suppose to represent prosperity. Cornbread is like money and is suppose to represent gold, and finally black eye peas for luck. Digging a little bit further, it seems that there are some practicalities for these foods being chosen. Collards and cabbage are what the call late late year crops. They are one of the few crops you can harvest late in the year, so when the new year comes, they are more abundant then other crops. According to “Tripsavvy,” hogs and pigs have long been a symbol of prosperity and gluttony. It’s why we say someone is “being a pig” when they take more than their share. Some cultures believe that the bigger pig you eat on New Year’s, the bigger your wallet will be in the coming year. So, the “fatter” the pig, the “fatter” your wallet. Spit and pit roasted pigs are popular New Year’s meals. Cornbread is the color of gold, so no surprise there. Now black eye peas has the most interesting story. First there are somethings you need to know. Each black eye pea you eat represents one day. You have to eat 365 of them to cover the year. Now for the back story. Eating them it dates back to the Civil War. Black-eyed peas were considered animal food. The peas were not worthy of General Sherman’s Union troops. When Union soldiers raided the Confederates food supplies, legend says they took everything except the peas and salted pork. The Confederates considered themselves lucky to be left with those meager supplies to survived the winter. Peas became symbolic of luck. Black-eyed peas were also given to slaves. The superstition says that black-eyed peas were all the southern slaves had to celebrate with on the first day of January, 1863, when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect. From then on, peas were always eaten on the first day of January. Wow! But no matter how you celebrate this day or what foods brings you good luck, we wish you a happy and prosperous New Year.