In many Southern communities, Watch Night Services will take place in many churches. It’s a tradition that goes back to 1862, when enslaved Africans in South Carolina prayed and stayed awake to enjoy their first day of freedom – January 1, 1863 or Freedom’s Eve – in a divided United States. Today, some churches will hold services into the New Year while others will begin and end a service early, so that members can get home to entertain or be entertained.
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When bringing in the New Year, a few Southern traditions and superstitions come to mind! My mom always made sure that she did not wash on New Year’s Day because she feared that she might
Black Southern Belles Share Special Watch Night Memories and NYE Traditions
We know the food traditions and even have a few treasured recipes to bring in the New Year. But sometimes it’s the memories and family traditions that linger and inspire even more. These wonderful Black
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Heritage Travels: Gullah Culture in the Hammock Coast
Over the past holiday season, my husband and I got to explore a part of South Carolina that I did not know much about. Although growing up in the Summerville, SC I was only a
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Our Food Historian Robin Caldwell describes,
Adhering to the many food traditions and customs is an artful act in our homes. It’s as important not to eat some foods on New Year’s Eve as what to eat that day. If you eat fowl or anything that can fly, your good luck can fly away before the New Year. Also, you don’t want to eat anything that can move fast backwards like lobster, crab and shrimp, unless of course you want your good fortune to be left behind. But you can eat fish on New Year’s Eve. There is the belief that since black-eyed peas swell, eating them will cause your bank account to swell in the New Year. Greens such as collards represent dollars and when served with cornbread even more luck will follow. Rice is also considered a good luck food and Hoppin’ John is a favored tradition in the lowcountry.