Happy New Year!

Lily by the tree

We hope you all had a lovely holiday.  For many of us we will be glad to see 2013 end - a bunch of kitties, woofies and peeps have been ill and too many have gone to the Rainbow Bridge.  We had planned a year in review but it would be too sad so instead we will celebrate the coming of a brand New Year with ways to bring good luck.

There are many strange and funny ways to bring good fortune to a New Year -  see how many you can do!

Callie eats round kibbles in a round dish!

1. Cakes, pastries, cookies, and round fruits like clementines are often enjoyed on New Year’s Day as their shape signifies the old year has come to a close, and the coming days hold the promise of a fresh start.

2. In Spain, when the clock strikes midnight, the people eat 12 grapes. One grape for every stroke of the clock to represent each month in the year. Each grape is said to bring good luck in the new year.(For humans only - Pets cannot eat grapes or raisins as they are toxic.)

3. Striking the walls with bread to ward off evil spirits (Ireland)   Sounds like fun! 

The whitesters snuggling in to see the New Year come.

4. In many countries, it is thought that a person can affect the luck they will have throughout the coming year by what they do on the first day of the new year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Kiss your significant other  to seal your relationship!

Ivy has healthy kale on her plate

5. Eating foods that are rich emerald green like kale, spinach and collards bring wealth

Darby is embarrassed to have her picture taken in her red undies!

6. Wearing red underwear, a symbol of good luck (Spain, Italy and Mexico)

7. Tradition says buttered bread placed outside the door symbolizes an absence of hunger in the household, and presumably for the year to come. (Ireland)

8.  As pigs root forward while they forage for food (as opposed to cows, who stand still, or chickens, who scratch backwards), pork in all forms (think ham!!!) is eaten hoping to embrace the challenges and adventures that await them in the coming year.

9. In Switzerland, they believe that good luck comes from letting a drop of cream land on the floor on New Year's Day. Sounds good to us...yum cream.

10. In Belgium, farmers wish their animals a Happy New Year for blessings.

 (from parade.com and english-zone.com) 

Wishing all of our dear friends and fellow bloggers a peaceful New Year filled with love, laughter, joy and everything that does a heart good!