Over the course of dinner on New Year’s Eve, I was told to remember that I can’t wash clothes tomorrow or clean the house. I asked why and was met with varied responses. Puzzled, I decided to search the Internet for a more in depth explanation. The Internet did not disappoint and after reading about a bunch of New Year’s superstitions, the hamster in the wheel in my head was in motion and started to question if they made sense.
A couple of these seem to revolve around not doing household
chores; which makes me wonder if their origins are rooted in someone having a
hangover or was simply too tired from staying up late. Something to perhaps examine at a later time.
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| No washing clothes on New Year's Day? |
Don’t wash clothes: There are a number of reasons I found for this. According to TheSpruce.com, some reasons are that in the coming year you could be “washing a loved one away” or “washing a fortune down the drain” or that one will have an inordinate amount of laundry to do in the coming year[1].
Of course I wondered if you launder money for a
living. I would think “washing a
fortune down the drain” is probably more applicable if you did. Additionally, does this washing also apply
to the washing of dishes? Perhaps it does. Because another superstition has you breaking
dishes on your neighbors’ doorsteps[2]. I’m
assuming these are dirty dishes, because it just seems the most efficient. Ultimately, I just hope this “not washing of
things” doesn’t extend to showers.
Don’t take anything
out of the house: In other words,
don’t clean the house. Garbage,
packages, food for the neighbors; nothing should leave the house on the idea luck
could leave the home and not come back in.[3] Maybe whoever thought of this should have
told the dish breaking people (mentioned above) about this tradition.
Additionally, what if you shower or go to the bathroom? Just about everyone I know has a house or an
apartment with modern plumbing. So,
something is leaving the house in that case.
Moreover, what if you’re in an RV and your wastewater holding tank is
full? I would think that needs to be disposed of quickly.
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| What do you do on New Years if your RV's waste tank is full? |
Don’t eat chicken or lobster: These creatures walk backward and if one wants to move ahead in the new year, these are the foods one stays away from. As a New Year’s Eve tradition I tend to have crab, which move sideways. Hmm ... never mind, this one might have some merit.
Open the doors and
windows at midnight: This is to let
the old year out and the new one in. In
cold areas this also lets the heat out and the cold
in. If it also happens to be windy,
snowing, or raining; it could also let in leaves, debris, or even precipitation
in … which would have to be cleaned on New Year’s Day. It’s a vicious mind game cycle.
New Superstitions:
The above are all great and traditional superstitions. But I think new and more modern ones are needed. Here are 4 that I’m proposing to get the ball rolling.
Don’t launder money:
you could be washing away a fortune in the New Year.
Don’t ask someone to
solve a device’s minor technical issue:
If you haven’t tried to figure it out try searching the web or YouTube
first. Otherwise technology may leave
you behind in the New Year.
Make Ice: For a solid new year
Take Metamucil: So
you poop well on New Year’s Day. This is so people don’t think you’re full of
sh*t in the New Year.
References:
[1] Leverette, Mary Marlow. (Jul 18, 2022). "New Year's Day Laundry Superstitions and Resolutions" TheSpruce.com. Accessed Jan 1, 2023
[2] Lord, Debbie. (Dec 29, 2022). "New Year’s Day superstitions: Don’t wash clothes; do look for a tall, dark, stranger; eat greens" kiro7.com. Accessed Jan 1, 2023
[3] Lattimer, Dustin. (Dec 30, 2022). "New Year’s superstitions that might be worth tryings" wgntv.com. Accessed Jan 1, 2023
