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https://www.essence.com/culture/why-do-we-eat-black-eyed-peas-new-years-hoodoo/
By Taylor Crumpton ·Updated December 27, 2023
Once the leftovers are packed away and the last scoop of the baked macaroni and cheese has been taken, Black households across America begin preparations to bring in the New Year. From the washing of floorboards to the soaking of greens, the aroma of freshly baked cornbread and stewed black eyed peas remind us of cherished moments with grandparents and extended family in town for the holidays. Now these traditions which are passed down from generation to generation, are known to originate from African origin.
In recent years, series such as Netflix’s High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America have brought to light the connection between food traditions in The United States and the African Diaspora. Yet, a point of origin that is often overlooked is Hoodoo.
Described as the religio-spiritual practice of the Black American ethnic group, by Emanuel Basnight, a Hoodoo practitioner, researcher and teacher. The ritual of preparing food is essential to the practice. “It’s that understanding. From the very basics of growing a seed to harvesting. It’s the understanding of our existence in the world and where we stand in relation to the flora, the fauna, the spirits, and the creator,” said Lissah Ryaan Mason, root worker, herbalist, and birth worker.
An unintended impact of the pandemic and protests around the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Floyd was resurgence of African Traditional Religions, such as Ifà, Lucumi, Santerià, and Diasporic Traditional Religions like Hoodoo. Basnight, much like Mason, characterized this shift as “Black people were searching for something that we struggle to receive from Abrahamic religions, and that is meaning people were looking for anything to explain the meaning behind what we were experiencing.”
Mason recalled a conversation with her mother about the comparisons between Hoodoo and Christianity. The usage of water to baptize. The ritual of Passover. The Holy Spirit. The belief that everything comes from the Creator. Although New Year’s Eve is not a religious holiday, the tradition of attending church on New Year’s Eve, followed by a meal of “Hoppin John’, collard greens with hog jowls, and ribs,” comes from Watch Night.
According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the night, also known as Freedom’s Eve, occurred on December 31, 1862 where “enslaved and free African Americans gathered, many in secret, to ring in the new year and await news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect.” For generations, African Americans have used New Year’s Eve to commemorate their freedom, strength, and resilience through worship to the Creator and food.
Compared to Thanksgiving and Christmas, where debates emerge over which family member makes the best mac and cheese, the menu for New Year’s Eve consists of slow cooked greens, meats, and legumes which presents a moment for prayer and introspection. “Those foods play a specific role in setting the tone for the going out of the new year and the ushering in of the new year,” said Basnight. “You take the meaning plus the action for desired outcome and intentional outcome. That is why I would say that moment in Black culture is very much Hoodoo.”
For example, the act of cleaning one’s house to bring in The New Year is a cleansing ritual to open space for blessings to come in the following year. Sweeping the house back to front. Removing dust from the corners. Getting rid of old things. Wearing something new. A male family member being the first to walk into the house. Money in the wallet.Several of these practices have ties to ritualistic practices in Africa, according to Mason.
“I found that to be a beautiful connection, an example of retention of African Indigenous culture, now being adapted to this European interruption that is colonial America,” she said. Though items such as collard greens, which originated from Europe, are not African in nature. The ways in which African Americans have prepared them is. “The principle of consuming something for protection and consuming for material and spiritual abundance or luck, I feel is very West African and it’s not something that we let go,” said Basnight.
Though separated by oceans and times, the gift and joy of being African American is the ability to pay homage to our ancestors through the creation of our own distinctive traditions like Hoodoo. So when you look at your plate on New Year’s Eve and see collard greens, which wealth, black-eyed peas, rice, which symbolizes sustenance, cornbread, which symbolizes gold, and yams, which represents fertility; remember the spiritual heritage of African Americans and the ancestors who made it possible for you to be here today.
The post Why Do We Eat Black-Eyed Peas On New Years? Hoodoo appeared first on Essence.
By Taylor Crumpton ·Updated December 27, 2023
Once the leftovers are packed away and the last scoop of the baked macaroni and cheese has been taken, Black households across America begin preparations to bring in the New Year. From the washing of floorboards to the soaking of greens, the aroma of freshly baked cornbread and stewed black eyed peas remind us of cherished moments with grandparents and extended family in town for the holidays. Now these traditions which are passed down from generation to generation, are known to originate from African origin.
In recent years, series such as Netflix’s High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America have brought to light the connection between food traditions in The United States and the African Diaspora. Yet, a point of origin that is often overlooked is Hoodoo.
Described as the religio-spiritual practice of the Black American ethnic group, by Emanuel Basnight, a Hoodoo practitioner, researcher and teacher. The ritual of preparing food is essential to the practice. “It’s that understanding. From the very basics of growing a seed to harvesting. It’s the understanding of our existence in the world and where we stand in relation to the flora, the fauna, the spirits, and the creator,” said Lissah Ryaan Mason, root worker, herbalist, and birth worker.
An unintended impact of the pandemic and protests around the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Floyd was resurgence of African Traditional Religions, such as Ifà, Lucumi, Santerià, and Diasporic Traditional Religions like Hoodoo. Basnight, much like Mason, characterized this shift as “Black people were searching for something that we struggle to receive from Abrahamic religions, and that is meaning people were looking for anything to explain the meaning behind what we were experiencing.”
Mason recalled a conversation with her mother about the comparisons between Hoodoo and Christianity. The usage of water to baptize. The ritual of Passover. The Holy Spirit. The belief that everything comes from the Creator. Although New Year’s Eve is not a religious holiday, the tradition of attending church on New Year’s Eve, followed by a meal of “Hoppin John’, collard greens with hog jowls, and ribs,” comes from Watch Night.
According to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the night, also known as Freedom’s Eve, occurred on December 31, 1862 where “enslaved and free African Americans gathered, many in secret, to ring in the new year and await news that the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect.” For generations, African Americans have used New Year’s Eve to commemorate their freedom, strength, and resilience through worship to the Creator and food.
Compared to Thanksgiving and Christmas, where debates emerge over which family member makes the best mac and cheese, the menu for New Year’s Eve consists of slow cooked greens, meats, and legumes which presents a moment for prayer and introspection. “Those foods play a specific role in setting the tone for the going out of the new year and the ushering in of the new year,” said Basnight. “You take the meaning plus the action for desired outcome and intentional outcome. That is why I would say that moment in Black culture is very much Hoodoo.”
For example, the act of cleaning one’s house to bring in The New Year is a cleansing ritual to open space for blessings to come in the following year. Sweeping the house back to front. Removing dust from the corners. Getting rid of old things. Wearing something new. A male family member being the first to walk into the house. Money in the wallet.Several of these practices have ties to ritualistic practices in Africa, according to Mason.
“I found that to be a beautiful connection, an example of retention of African Indigenous culture, now being adapted to this European interruption that is colonial America,” she said. Though items such as collard greens, which originated from Europe, are not African in nature. The ways in which African Americans have prepared them is. “The principle of consuming something for protection and consuming for material and spiritual abundance or luck, I feel is very West African and it’s not something that we let go,” said Basnight.
Though separated by oceans and times, the gift and joy of being African American is the ability to pay homage to our ancestors through the creation of our own distinctive traditions like Hoodoo. So when you look at your plate on New Year’s Eve and see collard greens, which wealth, black-eyed peas, rice, which symbolizes sustenance, cornbread, which symbolizes gold, and yams, which represents fertility; remember the spiritual heritage of African Americans and the ancestors who made it possible for you to be here today.
The post Why Do We Eat Black-Eyed Peas On New Years? Hoodoo appeared first on Essence.
How ‘Madame Web’ Is Looking to Upend the Entire Spider-Man Mythos with the Inclusion of Ezekiel Sims
The Spider-Man universe has long captivated audiences with its blend of relatable heroism, thrilling adventure, and fantastic humor. Those qualities have translated well into the cinematic universe, starting with Sam Raimi’s trilogy and continuing through Marc Webb’s duology as well as the MCU’s Homecoming trilogy. Traditionally, this particular universe is focused on the experiences of its titular character, AKA Peter Parker, while also exploring themes of responsibility — a great deal of which comes with great power but also youth and morality.
However, up until now, the Spider-Man mythos in the film have yet to explore the most transcendental nature of being a Spider-Man — which was, admittedly, somewhat explored in the animated Spider-Verse movie series. But that’s about to change. With February 14, 2024, fast approaching, the upcoming Madame Web movie promises to revolutionize the beloved Spider-Man mythos by introducing a character largely unexplored in cinematic adaptations.
Enter Ezekiel Sims, whose introduction poses a major shift in the thematic structure of the Spider-Man universe.
The first trailer for Madame Web just dropped, introducing the film’s villain as Ezekiel Sims, who’s apparently clad in a dark version of the classic Spider-Man costume and feeds on the energies of spider-people (individuals across the multiverse who have the same general powers as Spider-Man) in order to maintain his longevity. In the context of the upcoming movie, Ezekiel’s motivations appear to steer in the direction of eliminating of Julia Carpenter (Spider-Woman), Mattie Franklin (also Spider-Woman), and Anya Corazon (Spider-Girl). However, this also leads to a confrontation with Madame Web, who’s trying to save the girls from Ezekiel’s deadly touch.
As is often the case with cinematic adaptations of narratively massive universes, Ezekiel Sims is grossly misrepresented in the upcoming film. We’re not saying that he isn’t villainous in the comics, but we are saying that he isn’t actually feeding off the energy of the spider-people. It would appear that for whatever reason, Sony Pictures decided to merge Ezekiel with Morlun, a villain from the comic that led to Ezekiel’s introduction, as well as to introduce the concept of Spider-Totems and the connection to Anansi the Spider, a god of knowledge from West African folklore.
In the comics, Ezekiel is actually a mentor and ally to Spider-Man, with mystical knowledge about Spider-Man’s powers and his every connection with the Spider-Verse that stems from the fact that he also has spider powers. However, unlike Peter, who believes that his powers come from a radioactive spider bite, Ezekiel gained his powers through a magic ritual, which tied him to a so-called Spider-Totem, basically a mystical force that empowers all spider-heroes across the Multiverse.
This is what brings the transcendental component into the Spider-Man narrative. Ezekiel reveals that Peter didn’t inherit his spider powers from a spider bite. Peter’s spider was irradiated and tried to pass spider powers on to Peter before it died of radiation. Of course, Peter disagrees with this assessment, and the two go on to fight Morlun. Ezekiel eventually dies in the comics, and his death brings about the ultimate revelation: Spider-Totems are real, and Peter and Ezekiel aren’t the only people with spider powers in this universe.
In fact, at the very same time Peter was bitten by the irradiated spider when he was a teenager, his classmate Cindy Moon also gained spider powers. Unfortunately, she was also captured and locked away by Ezekiel, who was trying to prevent Cindy and Peter from meeting and coming into Morlun’s crosshairs. However, with Ezekiel dead, Peter finds and frees Cindy, who eventually becomes a spider hero known as Silk. The two have a short but intense romantic relationship spurred by their mutual connection to the metaphysical Spider-Totems.
The introduction of Spider-Totems paired with the foray into mysticism throws some fresh perspective on the Spider-Man mythos, which ultimately allows for a more complex narrative to emerge since the focus shifts from Peter’s individual struggles to a broader and more universal battle. It also challenges all the previously established understanding and the fandom’s knowledge of Spider-Man’s powers as a mere accident and provides the superhero with a more mystical quality.
This really isn’t a novelty when it comes to Marvel Comics; both Doctor Strange and Thor adaptations have previously introduced mystical and cosmic elements to the MCU, and now Madame Web is doing the same. Taking into account that the upcoming movie is a Spider-Man spin-off and the fact that the Spider-Verse is very popular in both animation and gaming, it’s entirely possible that Sony is trying to establish a franchise of its own, one that’s adjacent to the MCU.
We just hope that Sony won’t trade quality for quantity like Disney did. Considering that they already merged Ezekiel and Morlun, our hopes might be for naught. The introduction of Ezekiel Sims and the Spider-Totems certainly provides an opportunity, though, as well as the opportunity for the purported franchise to dive into worldwide cultural and mythological lore. This would not only broaden the scope of the narrative but also enriches the cultural diversity and inclusivity of the Spider-Man universe. Also, we wouldn’t complain about a live-action Miles Morales.
What do you do on New Year’s Eve? That’s the question that weighs on almost everyone’s mind. As your mind struggles to answer this question, you ultimately have to decide if you want to go out or stay in for NYE.
Before you make a decision that might take you to some overpriced and crowded club or that will leave you home alone and lonely, consider the following options.
6 Fabulous Plans for a Night Out on the Town for NYE
Here’s a list of things to do if you’re looking for a night out on the town.
- New York City’s Annual New Year’s Eve Party 2024 @ Stitch
This first event is for the partygoers who want to do it big this New Year’s Eve. The party at Stitch fills up with people. Plus, you’ll want to get there early to enjoy the open bar from 8–9:00 pm. For 15 years, Stitch has been throwing unforgettable NYE parties with two dancing floors accompanied by plenty of alcohol.
The bar is within walking distance of Times Square, so you’ll be in the middle of all the action. If you want to party all night and dance to your favorite hip-hop/electronic and Top 40 music, this is the place to be.
Check out the event website for more information and get your tickets.
2. Party Like It’s 1989 New Year’s Eve Bash
For all the ’80s and ’90s kids, the Party Like It’s 1989 New Year’s Eve Bash happening in NYC is for you.
If you want to go out but don’t want to put up with listening to today’s music, then this event will have you dancing the night away with retro tunes.
In addition to great tunes, there will also be professional photo options, a catered menu, and a cash bar with various wine, beer, and cider options.
The night will start with a live band, and once the clock strikes midnight, you’ll toast the new year with champagne, followed by a DJ TiLT who will keep the night going until 2:00 am.
If this sounds like a party for you, make sure you purchase your tickets soon.
3. Carnival Masquerade Ball at Omni Atlanta at Centennial Park
While local nightclubs and DJs are great, you may be in the mood for something international. Instead of heading out of the country, you can visit Centennial Park in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Carnival Masquerade Ball at Omni Atlanta at Centennial Park is a Latin-inspired party that starts at 9:00 p.m. You can enjoy a live Latin Band at the Carnival Grand Ballroom. If you want to mix things up, you can hang out at the Top Draft Sports Lounge, where DJ EU will spin some international beats.
Besides an international selection of music, you’ll also enjoy various food stations inspired by South American foods, cocktails, wine, and beer.
For more information, check out the event page.
4. New Year’s Eve Parties in Austin, Texas
If you live in Austin or are planning a trip there for the New Year, you’ll have plenty of options for celebrating NYE.
There are a host of parties of all different types. Some parties include burlesque shows, extravaganzas, circus-theme parties and more.
To see the complete list of events, check out the Austin website.
5. NYE in Las Vegas
Las Vegas is already known as a place to have a good time, and for New Year’s Eve, the craze goes up a notch.
The night starts with shutting down the strip to traffic, making the area feel like one gigantic block party. When it’s time to ring in the new year, the casinos celebrate with an elaborate fireworks show.
If you tire of being outside, the party continues in various nightclubs and hotels, including the Hard Rock Cafe and Area 51.
For all the details, check out the official website.
6. New Year’s Eve in Los Angeles
For West Coasters that aren’t looking to go to Sin City, Los Angeles is the place that offers an exciting night out.
LA offers a variety of events for different types of partygoers. There are comedy shows, dance parties, or 1920s-themed parties.
Make sure you check out the complete list of events.
Not what you’re looking for? Here are some other places you can find NYE events
If none of the previously mentioned events sound appealing or you live far outside a major city, here are some places where you can find events near you.
- Eventbrite
- Airbnb Experiences
- Local bars and clubs
- Your local city website
5 Fun Things to Do If You Want to Stay Home for NYE
For those who rather not deal with the crowds of drunken people, here are some ways you can have fun staying at home on NYE.
- Host a game night; include video games as well as board games
Get together with your closest friends and have a game night. Depending on your style, you can break out the classic board and card games such as Monopoly and UNO.
You can even make it high-tech by playing video games such as Jackbox games or Mario Kart.
- Scrapbooking
Scrapbooking might seem like some out-of-date activity. However, it can be fun to do by yourself or with friends. The primary purpose of scrapbooking is to preserve or present important memories.
Typically, scrapbooking involves attaching photos, artwork, or other memorabilia to blank pages in a scrapbook.
While many of our memories exist on the thousands of photos we have stored on our computers and phones, scrapbooking is a nice way to relive old memories.
Use NYE as a time to make a collage of photos from 2023 and reflect on the good times.
- Movie Marathon
Sometimes, NYE is a great night to decompress. Instead of getting all dressed up, why not put on comfy clothes, prepare a table of your favorite snacks, and watch a marathon of your favorite movies?
Make your inner Blerd happy by watching one of the phases of the Marvel movies or classics like Men in Black, Blade, and other fun sci-fi movies.
If you’re having trouble deciding what to watch, you can check out BGN’s list of 2023 Best Movies.
- Dance party
Say you want to go out dancing but don’t want to worry about getting pushed around by dozens of drunk partygoers. Avoid getting your feet stepped on and have a dance party at home.
Invite your friends, rearrange the furniture to give yourself maximum space, and put on your Spotify Wrap or any of your favorite playlists.
- Plan for the future with a vision-board-making party.
While many NYE celebrations focus on celebrating the past year, you can use the time to focus on the coming year.
Vision boards are collages with images of things you want to manifest or obtain. People tend to cut out pictures from magazines to design their vision boards.
If you’re hopeful about the future, you can gather your friends, poster boards, and old magazines to assemble your 2024 vision boards.
If you want to have even more fun with this idea, hire a tarot card reader to come and predict your future.