My family is big on traditions. Some have been passed down for generations, some were forgotten for a few years and then started back up again, and some are my parents' doing that we've done since we were little. The one tradition my dad has passed down that he is very adamant about takes place during the holiday season. It was his mother's tradition, and after she passed away when he was in his 20's, it was something he knew he wanted to keep passing down.
He gets Bayberry candles and sometime during the holiday season, we each have to burn the candle in our homes. It brings happiness, wealth and good luck. The only catch is that you can't burn the candle out--it has to keep burning all at one time until it is fully melted. Hazardous, maybe, but something I know I will continue doing and will be sure to pass down to my kids.
Before I started dating Chris, I had never heard of the well-known tradition of eating Black-Eyed Peas on New Year's Day for good luck. Since this is something his family has done and continues to do to this day, we have started doing it as well. Last year we forgot until last minute and just took spoonfuls of beans out of a can to say we at least had our share. This year, we remembered early and I wanted to make something to mask the taste of the beans (we aren't huge fans). This dip was perfect and I can definitely see myself eating it on occasions other than New Year's. It resembles a Mexican dip, which is fine by me!
Happy 2012 to you all and I hope you have a happy and blessed year!
Spread into a 9-inch pie dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.
*Note: if you have them available, you can use the canned black-eyed peas and jalapenos (they're canned together.) If you do this, you can omit the extra jalapenos.