New Year’s Eve wasn’t a big thing when I was growing up, as
I remember it. My parents had parties, but I don’t recall any New Year’s Eve parties.
But after I got married and my family and
I began traveling all over the world with my career military husband, I learned
a lot about New Year’s celebrations all over the world.
One typical celebration for the Danish (of which I am), is
the throw dishes at the door and as many as
My first memory of a big New Year’s celebration was when we
lived on the Big Island of Hawaii. You might think of the Polynesian people as
the prominent ethic race in Hawaii, but on the big island, Japanese, and then
Chinese were the most numerous. New Year’s Eve was a big celebration to them.
I recall our family spending
New Year’s Eve with another family in Hawaii our first year. What a surprise we
were in for! At midnight, the night exploded with fireworks and firecrackers!!!!
Every telephone pole was wrapped with firecrackers and it was exciting to see
the night come alive! Never in my life have I seen a celebration to match that
of Hawaii.
Our second New Year’s
we went downtown Hilo, and watched the fireworks light up the sky and reflect
in the Hilo Bay. It was very memorable! But there were still masses of small
local fireworks, as though each person was trying to outdo each other.
But the Hawaiians were satisfied with one New Year’s a year;
they celebrated the Chinese New Year, anytime between January and February, and
all the fuss began again. The Chinese tradition was to clean your house and
drive out all the evil spirits on New Year’s Eve to begin the new year fresh
and clean (and unencumbered by evil spirits).
To
me, Chinese New Year’s Eve is pork sausage wonton, because that seemed to be
the most common appetizer served. They may have had lots more appetizers than
won ton but that is what I remember the most. For years, I would celebrate my
own Chinese New Year by making won tons.
 |
| One of Ed's Photos as he rode back to Saigon after Tet |
My husband had a fun
New Year’s adventure while he served in Vietnam in 1969. He was serving at a
base close to Saigon, and he took an R & R (Rest and recreation break) and
flew to Hong Kong to see what it was like. He happened to be in Hong Kong when
the big Vietnamese Tet (or New Year’s celebration) of 1969 happened. The North
Vietnam and Viet Cong mounted a large attack of American bases throughout the
country on the Vietnamese New Year, but especially Saigon and Da Nang.
Ed missed most of the “Fun” of Tet, and his vacation was
extended because he couldn’t get back into the country. Finally, he got
transportation to Da Nang and traveled by truck through the devastated country
back to Saigon. I was glad he’d missed most of the conflict.
In Alabama I was introduced to a new New
Year’s tradition—Black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day. The tradition was
supposedly begun on New Year’s Day in 1863 when the Emancipation Proclamation
when into effect, and that was all the slaves had to eat. However, Wikipedia
claims that eating black-eyed peas dates to ancient Egypt when eating a scanty serving
of it on New Year’s Day showed humility before the Gods, and therefore you
would be blessed! Wherever it came from, I didn’t care enough for Black-eyed
peas to eat them in Alabama and did so later only as tradition.
 |
| Ed in Australia during Chinese New Year |
The rest of my New
Year’s Day’s celebration were the same until Ed and I went to Australia in
2013. We were in Melbourne on New Year’s and their large population of Chinese
made the celebration especially fun. I can’t remember a more fun holiday than
that half-way around the world from my normal American life. But it also made
me very nostalgic of Hawaii.
Another New Year’s I recall was when my oldest son and his
family were out here to celebrate with us and we went to Salt Lake City’s new
year’s celebration. I remember doing fun things at the Family History Library,
and then going to a Sing-along that was fun. But I don’t think we stayed out ‘til
midnight because he had his small children with us.
 |
| Marlowe & me at SLC New Year's Celebration |
Normally I am a real stick-in-the-mud for New Year’s Eve
(this last one I spent scrapbooking after working hard cleaning out my garage),
but the neighborhood fireworks have become much louder. We got a special treat
this year; our power went out about 9:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and was out for
about 40 minutes.
My son Bryan had a good New Year’s Eve. He performed the New
Year’s performance of his new play, “The Nerd,” and the theater had lots of
food, noise-makers, and yelling, but no indoor fireworks, as far as I know.
Does it matter how you celebrate New Year’s Eve or Day, as long
as you welcome the new year, make new resolutions (which you break), and have
fun. Isn’t that what it is all about?
No comments:
Post a Comment