Many South Americans believe that if you carry an empty
suitcase around the block on New Year's Day you will be fortunate to travel
during the course of the year. When my elderly neighbor sauntered out of her
front gate in Cali, Colombia with a beat-up valise she'd dusted off for the
occasion, she brushed off my queries brusquely.
"Don't bother me now! I'm leaving!"
Minutes later, her "tour" complete, she confided
her desires to "see the states" this year.
According to her, a voyage this year was now, "in the
bag".
Around the middle of December you begin to notice a
disproportionately large number of fruit and vegetable street vendors starting
to sell grapes. Grapes are everywhere by Christmas. Green grapes, purple
grapes, mixed grapes - they roll down the street and squish beneath your
careless feet as you stroll market areas and shopping districts. Eating 12
grapes at or near midnight of New Year's Eve will bring you good luck
throughout the New Year. Green grapes are preferred by the majority, but any
will suffice I was told by Anna Lucia who walked into the room with a bag of
mixed grapes ample enough to produce a case of "vino". Happy New Year MESSAGES 2020
"You're not planning to eat all those, are you?" I
chided.
"No, they're not just for me. They're for my family
too."
I remembered that she and her husband have five children.
Add in the extended family and well, enough said. Haven't had your twelve yet?
Hurry up, there's still time.
A Bundled Sheaf of Wheat
A black youth stood on a downtown Pasto, Colombia corner
hovering over a five-gallon bucket full of bundled sheaves of wheat. Each was
wrapped with a brightly colored ribbon or two. Some were enhanced even further
with a flower or small bouquet. People up and down the streets walked with a
similar-looking sheaf held upright out in front of them like a siren in front
of a fire engine. Crossing the Zocalo, or main square downtown, a young girl
sitting on a park bench waved her sheaf at us like a magic wand.
"That's a new one on me", I said to my companion
when she explained.
"If you hang a bundled sheaf of wheat in your home it's
very good luck."
She continued, "It has twelve stalks of wheat in each
bundle".
"How much for one?" I asked the youth.
We quickly bargained to a lower price.
"Are you sure there're twelve in here?" I
questioned, not wanting to get short-changed.
"Oh yeah. Go ahead and count them."
When my partner responded, "No there're only
eleven."
He quickly snapped back, "No way! Count them
again."
We did and there were twelve. This New Year's luck thing is
serious business. The flowered sheaf stands guard now on the bookcase over my
desk. Wish me luck, okay?
The Color Yellow
Not all mind you, but quite a few Latinos in Colombia and
Ecuador use the color yellow for the New Year. There are a number of ways to do
it. You can paint a room yellow. Place something yellow in the room. Wear a
yellow item of clothing and you'll shower yourself with fortune for the New
Year. For reasons which as yet elude me, a favorite is to wear yellow
underwear. (The preferred color in Mexico is red.) Both men and women have a
pair or two on hand for the occasion - or so I've been repeatedly told. Okay,
okay, I'll fess up; I have a couple of pairs of yellow underwear myself. So
call me fickle. I have red ones too. Do I wear a pair for New Year's? I'll
never tell!
Be sure to read "How to Use Three Potatoes and a
Stuffed Dummy for Bringing in the New Year" for more unusual Latin
American New Year's customs. It's online at:
http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/
Happy New Year! ... and get that suitcase out!
Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an English language teaching and
learning expert author and university professor in Cali, Colombia. Now YOU too
can live your dreams in paradise, find romance, high adventure and get paid
while travelling for free.
For more information on entering or advancing in the
fascinating field of teaching English as a Foreign or Second Language send for
his no-cost PDF Ebook, "If You Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What
You Need to Know", immediate delivery details and no-obligation
information are available online now at: http://bettereflteacher.blogspot.com/
Need professional, original content or articles for your
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