Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 25-31, 2019 UCW 9 Christmas Day and New Year's Day allow people to enjoy a complete week of holiday festivities. People decorate their homes and shops and purchase gifts for each other. We wish each other a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Common tradi- tions include attending parties, eating special foods, watching fireworks displays and making resolutions for the new year. e earliest recorded festivities in honor of a new year's arrival date back 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. For the Babylonians, the first new moon following the vernal equinox — the day in late March with an equal amount of sunlight and darkness — heralded the start of a new year. Fes- tivities have varied over time. Early celebrations were more paganistic, celebrating Earth's cycles. It wasn't until Julius Caesar implemented the Julian calendar that Jan. 1 became the common day for the celebration. In many countries, modern New Year's celebrations begin on the eve- ning of Dec. 31 and continue into the early hours of Jan. 1. Americans often celebrate with parties featuring toast- ing, drinking and fireworks late into the night on New Year's Eve. Some might even get a kiss at midnight. Customs that are common world- wide include watching fireworks and singing songs to welcome the new year, including the ever-popular "Auld Lang Syne" in many English-speaking countries. New Year's Eve has always been a time to reflect on the past, but more importantly, to plan for the future. Resolutions can be anything from meal prepping to volunteering. In many parts of the world, traditional new year's dishes feature legumes, which are thought to resemble coins and herald future financial success. One example includes black-eyed peas in the southern United States. New Year's resolutions are traditions. Some are more popular than others. According to an Inc. study of 2,000 people, the most common resolutions that were made in 2019 include No. 1 eating healthier. More than two-thirds of American adults are considered to be overweight or obese. It should come as no surprise that diet is the first thing people want to tackle in the new year. Exercising more comes under the same umbrella as eating healthier. Working out more is the second most common new year's resolution. Many Americans are eager to get on top of their finances in the new year. Some want to get out of debt while others are more focused on bulking up their savings accounts. About a third of Americans make this their top goal. Debt.com says to be specific, set a budget, let go of unhealthy spend- ing habits, track your spending, and use cash whenever you can. Sometimes new year's resolutions are about losing things: extra weight, debt or emotional baggage like letting go of nasty habits, such as eating junk food and smoking. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said, "it's never too early to quit." ere are plenty of tools to help you through it. Over-the-counter nico- tine replacement therapy products make it easier to kick nicotine without spending a fortune or even stepping a foot in the doctor's office. On aver- age, smokers try about four times before they quit for good, so don't let a failed attempt discourage you. Happy New Year! Happy New Year by JEFF THOMPSON NEWS According to an Inc. study of 2,000 people, the most common resolutions that were made in 2019 include No. 1 eating healthier. The annual Black-eyed Pea Din- ner is a decades-old Fayetteville tradition, drawing hundreds of attendees each year. For many, it would not feel like the start of the new year without this event. Regis- ter of Deeds Lee Warren hosts it. It is on New Year's Day from 11 a.m.- 2 p.m at the the Charlie Agro Expo Center in the auditorium. This event started in the 70s. It was led by Sheriff Otis Jones and local attorney Willis Brown. Af- ter Jones died in the late 80s, the event stopped happening. Then when Warren was elected to be the County Commissioner in 1992, he and his friend Owen Spears, who was elected to the North Carolina House of Representatives, worked hard to make sure the New Year's Dinner took place again. Then the district attorney, Gran- nis partnered with Warren to host the event. Grannis died, but the Grannis family continue to work with Warren on the dinner. Billy West, who is now the district attor- ney, also helps with the event. West has been working with the event for around 20 years. "Years ago, there used to be events like this from time to time," said Warren. "There aren't many events like this that are open to the public. I'm not sure if there are many events left like this anymore." The menu consists of black-eyed peas, collard greens, barbecue, candied yams, dinner rolls, tea and coffee. "When you are preparing an event that you don't send invitations to, you run an ad in the newspaper, and you invite in essence anybody who reads the paper with this," said Warren. "Everybody is invited. So, we never know exactly how many people are coming. There could be several thousand people coming. We start several months ahead in preparing for the dinner, ordering food and lining up all the help, ev- erything it takes to put on an event like that." Warren continued, "We prepare so that we don't run out of food. We prepare a little extra because every year, whatever we have leftover, we donate to the My Rover Reis Home to help the people that they house there." For entertainment, Larry Chasten, a gospel singer, performs. When asked about his favorite part of the event, Lee Warren said it is "seeing people that come every year, renewing old friendships and making new ones. That is the best part about it. It is just a good time to renew old friendships and to say hello." Another priority for the day of the dinner is making sure everybody has a good time and gets fed. "I don't think we have ever completely run out of food any year that we have done it, so our goal is to not do that," Warren said. Welcome the new year at the annual Black-eyed Pea Dinner by OLIVIA BURKE EVENT The annual Black-eyed Pea Dinner is a New Year's Day tradition that many in the community look forward to each year. OLIVIA BURKE, Contributing writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910- 484-6200.