HAPPY 2009

HAPPY FAMILY! HAPPY 2009!!!

FOR LUCK IN THE NEW YEAR
Traditionally, it was thought that one could affect the luck they would have throughout the coming year by what they did or eat on the first day of the year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Parties often last into the middle of the night after the ringing in of a new year.

THE PROSPERITY CANDLES

each color of these candles has its meaning...and it is in the small manual inside it when you buy it in Quiapo church which as well includes a prayer...you just have to observe which candle burns fast...and that's you will experience the whole year...

THE WATER OF LIFE every year, this has been our family's tradition even from our great grandparents and passed on to generations to generations to drink the water with 7 fresh petals and make sure that everyone in the family has to drink on the same glass...it symbolizes refreshment and a life of good health...

yes, indeed everyone had a share of it! me, my husband, my kids, my sister, my brother and a cousin who was with us during the new year...

The long noodles are meant to symbolize long life, and you should take care to eat them without breaking the noodles.

CHOCOLATES which brings sweetness...

Eating Greens Eating vegetables such as cabbage, collard greens, mustard greens, chard, or kale for New Year's seems to be associated with the idea that the folded greens symbolize money and are thought to bring good fortune.

Legumes

Legumes including beans, peas, and lentils are also symbolic of money. Their small, seedlike appearance resembles coins that swell when cooked so they are consumed with financial rewards in mind.

The custom of eating pork on New Year's is based on the idea that pigs symbolize progress. The animal pushes forward, rooting itself in the ground before moving.

malagkit Rice...

to make blessings stick on the whole year round...

Fish Scales to Symbolize Silver

Fish, especially those with silvery scales, is thought to be a lucky food for the new year

Pork for New Year's

Pork is a symbol of prosperity in many cultures, which is one reason pork dishes are often associated with New Year's feasts. Pigs are considered good luck because they root forward, symbolizing progress, and the fatty meat is also symbolic of fattening wallets

Foods like doughnuts or bagels which are shaped like rings are thought by some people to represent the year coming full circle and are believed to bring luck.

firecrackers/
fireworks...

to drive away evil spirits...

"torotots"

let's make some noise!!!

we cooked everything that we needed...and I let the kids sleep in the afternoon to make them fully charged at midnight...because I wanted to make sure that everyone's awake at midnight...

in the afternoon just before meeting the New Year I and my husband went to Market-market to shop for all the necessary things needed for our family's celebration at midnight...well, lucky for me that I got everything I needed though! which probably be a good sign!