Celebrating the New Year: Superstitions and family traditions

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- People in the Central Valley are already thinking about how they'll spend the turn of the year.

"Gonna celebrate indoors with my daughter, son-in-law and grandkids. I think we'll play some board games and reminisce about the year," said Herb Pasos.

For others watching the excitement across the globe on TV is a fun tradition.

"We're gonna watch the fireworks and the East Coast ball drop and then at 9 o'clock- we're asleep," said Sue Hajou.

Hajou said when she met her husband over forty years ago, they decided to play into a New Year's Eve superstition-- in hopes warding off bad luck in the new year.

"On New Years at midnight we'd have to eat one grape for every dong of the clock and the goal was to finish them all before it stopped chiming,"

Johanna Knutson said she's getting ready to take part in a family tradition that's been passed down from generations.

"You start with the hambone that came from your Christmas ham. And so, we always make sure we don't pull all the meat out of hand bone, you know you leave some of it on so there's enough left over for the hoppin' John's," said Knutson.

The most important ingredient is cooking black eyed peas because Knutson said that signifies good luck. Then the black-eyed peas and ham is poured over rice.

A meal she's grateful for.

"So even though I don't know what's coming, I'm blessed, I have a lot, and so the meal means a lot," said Knutson.

Knutson said 2024 has brought on a lot of trials and tribulations but getting to spend time with her son and family while finding gratitude is the best way to ring in the New Year.

"We just sort of sit and think about what's good and what we hope to see is good in the new year," said Knutson.

But the most common tradition people shared is spending quality time with loved ones.

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