The Black-Eyed Peas Tradition
A Great Explanation of a SOUTHERN Tradition from Jeff Paulk at the Southern Vindicator
A Great Explanation of a SOUTHERN Tradition from Jeff Paulk at the Southern Vindicator. Happy New Year to one and all! - DD
Happy New Year to everyone out there today. Do you have your black-eyed peas cooking? Have you heard of the tradition of having black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day? How did it come about? Well, I will tell you what I have read and heard, then you can decide if you believe it or not. As for me, I tend to go along with it.
During the War of Northern Aggression, in Sherman’s “march to the sea”, and Sheridan’s destruction of the Shenandoah Valley, they killed every animal that they did not steal, and stole or destroyed all the food, including any crops that were there. It seems that the only crops not destroyed were black-eyed peas, as they were grown to feed the hogs. After the Yankee destruction, there were no hogs to feed. Countless Southerners, black and white, faced starvation, and many did die from disease and starvation. It seems what kept some from starving was the remaining crops of black-eyed peas – pig food. Considering this to be good fortune from the hand of Providence, it became a New Year’s Day tradition to eat black-eyed peas on this day in anticipation that…
😋 Nothing like a bowl of good beans 🫘 😋 happy new year 🩷👊‼️