Happy New Year everyone. I hope that you had fun, whether you celebrated at home or at one of the many parties going on throughout the city. And, i hope many of you have continued family traditions that were passed on from your ancestors.
Tradition plays a big role in many people’s New Year’s activities (be they on the eve or the day) and unfortunately, the reasons why are sometimes lost. And that is why we are here … to keep the knowledge of these past traditions at the forefront.
So, let’s take a look at some traditions that readers have never forgotten and hopefully 360 days from now we might look at reviving and passing along familial New Year’s traditions to new generations.
No matter where you were on the night of Dec. 31, the celebrations for the new year looked a little different for everyone. In New York City, thousands of people gather yearly to watch a 700-pound ball drop in Times Square, a tradition that’s more than 100 years old. While the ball drop has become an iconic tradition for many in North America (whether watched on TV or in person), many others ring in the new year with other special traditions, many of which represent good luck.
For some people, starting off the year with good luck foods is customary. Others believe following New Year superstitions, whether decorating the house in a unique way, having specific rituals or specific visitors, even wearing a certain underwear color (in Peru, if you want to have a very lucky year, you have to wear yellow underwear). Other traditions will help bring health, wealth and happiness in the upcoming months. And while we can't be sure that any New Year’s tradition will make the year ahead a better one, it certainly doesn't hurt.
Reader Robin Godin, while researching this very topic 30 years ago for a B.A. class, interviewed his mother who was born in Bigwood in 1932. She told him that “it was a special New Year’s morning treat from her father to get fresh oranges in the morning. It was the tradition in her household from the French River area.”
A reader on Sudbury.com shared a Scottish tradition in their family.
“Being of Scottish descent, we celebrate New Year's Eve, called Hogmanay. The tradition of first footing requires that the first visitor of the New Year should be a tall, dark and handsome stranger, and come bearing a gift of coal, to bring good luck for the coming year. While coal is no longer considered a gift, my father believed to ensure good luck we needed the tall, dark and handsome stranger to cross the threshold. Though technically not a stranger, my dad would cheat by insisting that the only dark-haired person we knew would visit, which was the eldest daughter's friend. It was close enough to the old tradition, and seemed to have worked, as the New Year was typically a good one overall.”
Barbara Curtin’s family also partook in a similar custom, as her mother “always left a piece of coal and a slice of bread by the front door for the first ‘man’ after midnight to carry over the threshold.” And, as long as this was carried out, Barbara’s mother “said we would never be cold or hungry.”
A really interesting Irish New Year’s tradition would involve people opening the back door of their house just before midnight to “kick the Old Year out” and opening the front door to “let the New Year in.” While opening the front door at midnight, people would also greet their neighbours and wish them a Happy New Year.
Claire Cressey-Forsyth wrote that this specific “Cressey family tradition … has been honoured for many decades.”
Reader Claude Nadon reminded us of “la Bénédiction Paternelle” (the Paternal Blessing), a French-Canadian tradition that was common for many in the region. Another reader, Elizabeth Seguin, recalled her father following this custom every year.
In some families, the blessing takes place on Jan. 1, wherein children were expected to return home (or call home) in order to receive a blessing from their parents. The custom involved fathers and mothers placing their hands on their child’s head, whether that children is five years, 15 years or 50 years old. This custom is an invitation to them to begin the New Year with a blessing.
In some homes at New Year it is tradition to never turn a calendar to show January until after midnight. According to some cultural traditions (such as in Scotland), it was considered bad luck to show the face of the calendar before the new year.
The tradition was to take down the old calendar on New Year's Eve and replace it with a new calendar (most times turned to face the wall). When it was past midnight, a child would be allowed to turn all the calendars in the house around.
This tradition was seen in a photo from 1939 of Peter Crossgrove and his sister, Heather, hanging up a 1940 calendar backwards. Both children are standing on a table top as Peter holds a hammer and Heather holds the 1939 calendar in one hand and a horn in the other.
Noreen Barbe was delighted to spot familiar faces amongst the photos attached to the previous article “enjoying the Old and celebrating the New Year.” As she continued, those were “happy times (that) we enjoyed at the Club Allegri, Mine Mill Hall, and Elks Club.” Noreen sums up the feeling of New Year’s celebrations best.
“It is the beautiful memories we made as couples that help us enjoy the simplicity of our lives today,” she wrote.
A couple of readers wrote in to let us know what leisure traditions that their families and friends used to enjoy while bringing in the new year.
Mike Stahls’ “tradition from back in the late 1970s and 1980s was taking the snowmobiles and spending New Years ice fishing at the camp on Penage with all of the aunts, uncles and cousins.”
Todd Martin wrote that “New Years Day was always ‘sliding day’.” They would go down “an old mining road to the old quarry where we swam in the summer, but the winter ruled.” Since there was a scrap yard at the bottom, they “would take car hoods to the top and pile on and hope for the best.”
The tradition of setting off fireworks on New Year's Eve is said to date back to ancient China. The loud noise of fireworks, like the banging of pots and pans, were thought to prevent evil spirits from entering the new year.
As a Canadian counterpoint to the Times Square ball drop, one can tune in (or head on down) to Niagara Falls or the Toronto waterfront for a New Years fireworks display. Or, much better (and much closer to home), a tradition of heading to Coniston for New Years Eve fireworks is beginning to develop.
Though New Years can be filled with the pomp and circumstance of traditions for many, some, like reader Sandy Grant are opting for quieter traditions. “This year an evening of card-playing with friends and wishes for a healthy and happy 2024.”
Now, dear readers, the last note of Auld Lang Syne has faded out and it’s time to clear the dance floor. But, let us return to Mrs. Barbe one last time. “Happy New Year wishes to all for 2024, with love, health, peace, hope, and harmony.”
See you back here in two weeks with another timely skate down memory lane.
Jason Marcon is a writer and history enthusiast in Greater Sudbury. He runs the Coniston Historical Group and the Sudbury Then and Now Facebook page. Memory Lane is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.
