OK, so my computer will be ready for pick up tomorrow which means that I should be able to write a little more. My mom is here for a visit and both of my kids are sick so I can’t say I am not busy because I am SOOO busy. However, I want to write a short note about the Czech New Year.
There is not much to it except that the Czechs have a saying “Jak na Novy Rok, tak po cely rok” which means something like “Your new year (2012) will be the same as the New Year’s day (so you better make the most of that day)” . That’s why on the New Year’s day (1/1/2012) a lot of Czechs will have a lentil soup for lunch or dinner in order to have a lot of money in the next year; maybe the lentils are supposed to represent coins?Β Not sure what the exact connection between lentil soup and money is but that’s the tradition.
Does anyone have any other Czech/Slovak tradition to add?
CZ: Ahoj vsichni, konecne budu mit zitra svuj pocitac zpatky z opravny, tak snad budu moci psat trosku vic. Je u nas na navsteve moje mamka a obe me deti jsou nemocne, takze opravdu toho volneho casu na blogovani moc nemam. Chtela jsem ale napsat kratkou zpravu/pripominku o ceskem Novem Roku.
Silvestr se blizi a s nim i jiz zmineny Novy Rok. A jak se rika, “Jak na Novy Rok, tak po cely rok”, takze doufam, ze si k obedu naservirujete hodne cocky, aby pristi rok jen oplyval penezmi! Porad mi neni jasne, jake spojeni mezi penezmi a cockovou polevkou vlastne je, ale hadam, ze cocka ma reprezentovat mince? Nenapada vas jina ceska novorocni tradice?
Loading ...
Tanya, it is almost the same here except we add green like collards or turnip greens for the dollars. We have blackeye peas for coins and collards for the bills. We don’t do laundry or clean house on New Years day because whatever we are doing that day will carry on into the next year for everyday. So we try to do something very enjoyable and spend the day with our family.
Happy New Year to you and your family. I enjoy reading your blog very much.
B J
No ja nejim zviratka, takze tuhle krasnou polevku ja jim velmi casto. YUM!
Tez Preji Vsem Zde Krasny Novy Rok 2012!
Hlavne neuklizet!
Nemeli bysme podle tohodle vsichni cely den sedet s diamantami na krku, bezva jidlem pred sebou a pocitat penize? Hahahaha
Pokud si dobre pamatuju tak nase rodina prave v ten den uklizela :(((
BJ, the collard idea is pretty smart! I wonder if the United States are wealthier nation than CR because you guys do just that π
This will be the first time I am celebrating New Years in Czech, so I am curious to learn what traditions my new family here have. When I lived her before as a teacher I always traveled during the holidays and missed the local celebrations. Happy New Year π
Please give us a report on how your day was. From now on you are our spy π
No u nas se rikalo, ze se ten den nesmi jist nic co ma kridla (kure a pod.) protoze by nam mohlo uletet stesti π
A co takhle zbytky z kapra? To se mohlo nebo by nam uplavalo stesti? π
that’s too bad π we ate DUCK and I don’t even eat meat, but anyway, this year 2012 no more fish even. I’m finally completely vegetarian!!Whoohooa.
BTW
I did make a FABULOUS black eyed pea dish so if anyone would like to try it, read the following:
Boil black eyed peas, almost to the point that the water evaporates.
Pour into a glass bowl, then boil bismatti skinny long grain rice, and when cooked, mix the two together.
In a small cup mix olive oil, cayenne pepper ( or chilli pepper -whichever you like), salt, turmeric, cardamon, ginger together, very well. Measurements depend on how much of the black eyed peas and rice you’ve made and how spicey you like it. Turmeric is good in all foods because it keeps the skin clear of blemishes and damage and ginger is healthy. The peppers are for flavors, just like salt. Once this is mixed, add about two spoons of PREGO sauce. Mix again.
Chopp up tomatoes, zucchinni, onions and mix them with parsley and almonds ( or cashews ) then mix all that together with the rice and peas. Top it all off with the dressing you’ve made and mix that together.
This meal is 75% raw, therefore filled with nutrients and if you make sure you drink sparkling water from a glass bottle with this or a glass of white vine ( for the connoseurs – you must know which vine is ok with spices or it will taste like battery acid) then you will have one helluva taste for lunch, boosting your body with an energy meal that will wake you up and keep you going all day long.
As you know from prev. posts, my dad was a pediatrician and when he got cancer we came up with a lot of holistic recipes which boost energy, which fill your body with nutrients and keep you going all day long instead of making you fall asleep. XO
PS: if anyone makes this – send me a photo! π
Well, it turns out that my in-laws eat the same thing for New Years as they do for Christmas. So more riΕΎek and potato salad and lots of chlebiΔky π the evening was spent watching more Czech tv and the evening involved a big fireworks display put on by my father-in-law. The fireworks were really the main event. All good fun π
That’s like here with Thanksgiving and Christmas – my MIL also cooks the same meal when we go to her house. But it’s good!