New Year

There are 10,001 New Year's traditions here, at least.

Here are a few we followed this year. 

Hanging a squill, big wild bulb, on the front gate

It was given to us all wrapped, beribboned and with a loop to hang it up.

I've got to the stage of 'if it's not easy then forget it.'

It symbolises wealth and growth, so they say. Heaven knows why.

I'm all for a bit of wealth coming my way. It can hang there till it doesn't .

Our poor little pomegranate. 

The first footer goes out and smashes the pomegranate against the door.  The more the seeds spread out the more luck will come to the household.

The pomegranate (rodi in Greek) was left over from the Christmas coleslaw. I got out the carving knife and made big cuts in the top so it would explode all over the place. Only it didn't explode . It was more of an im-plode.

It was rotten inside. A few seeds did spill out.  

It was lucky for me. No big mess to clean up this year.

Who really believes in this stuff anyway.

The Vassilopita, sweet New Years cake, made by Elli.  Really good and beautifully decorated . I forgot about meat eating and ate a big piece of this, and a few chocolates too.

The Vassilopita has a coin in it and naturally the person who gets the slice with the coin is guaranteed a year of good luck.

The slices are cut, the first for the house and fields (what fields), the 2nd for the Virgin Mary and then  slices are cut for the oldest in the family, going down to the youngest, dogs, cats and the hamster.

K was the lucky one this year.

At lunch the New Years bread was cut the same way by our son-in-law. Bread made by K,  a great success.

 Guess who found the coin. The Patriarch of our Greek family found it again.  2 out of 2.

What with wild onion bulbs, pomegranates and lucky coins he's in for one helluva year. I hope some of this luck and wealth rubs off onto me.

I'd better be an obedient Greek wife this year, walk 2 paces behind him and nod my head at his wise words . I'm Laughing Out Loud 

There is the coin wrapped in silver paper at the bottom of the slice of bread. His win, fair and square. The next slice was mine. Out of luck this time Linda.

And here he is.

The Man of the Year for 2024