Hoppin’ John, collard greens, and dumplings are popular New Year’s Day dishes among black southerners. Black-eyed peas were believed to represent coins and the greens dollars that, if eaten, would bring economic prosperity for the New Year. In other parts of the world, folks have traditionally eaten lentils on New Year’s with a similar rational. African American Southern migrants brought this tradition with them when they relocated to Northern cities like New York. What New Year’s traditions did you grow up practicing?
