Victorian New Year's Eve party ideas – Old fashioned, traditional new years eve
The opening of one’s home to friends and family on New Year’s Eve, and on New Year’s Day has been an American tradition since our colonial days. Traditions brought from the old countries flourished in the new.
President George Washington himself kept this tradition. After his inauguration as President of the United States in April of 1789, he began opening his home to visitors every New Year’s Day. He continued this tradition every year he occupied the President’s House on Market Street in Philadelphia until March 1797.
Along with opening one’s home, the traditions of specific foods served and enjoyed on New Year’s has lasted for generations. Although culturally varied, the purposes are essentially the same: to bring luck, good fortune, wealth, prosperity, and health throughout the coming year.
Some New Year's Eve party ideas and food traditions include:
Pork of varying cuts and preparations (often served with sauerkraut or cabbage): Tradition holds that the pig or hog is a symbol of fatness and plenty. Tradition also teaches that because a pig roots forward for its food, having pork signifies progress and moving forward in life during the coming year.
Blackeyed peas and pork (called Hoppin’ John), usually served with greens: The peas are coins, the greens are dollars. And pork for the aforementioned additional symbolism.
Cookies and cakes of numerous varieties: Round to symbolize the completion of the old year, special cookies and cakes also were usually elaborate to symbolize prosperity and health. Often cakes had a coin or other trinket hidden in them to bring the finder of the hidden item extra luck in the coming year.
Lobster and fish: Both are for health, happiness and good life, with the fish often prepared and displayed to appear as though it is still swimming (alive and well).
Avoiding turkey or chicken: In some cultures it is believed that partaking of fowl during New Year’s will actually bring bad luck, since these animals scratch backwards for their food. This is said to symbolize moving backwards, rather than forwards in life in the coming year; as well as having to scratch out a living, rather than enjoying abundance. Turkey or chicken is enjoyed over Christmas instead, to put the old year behind you. (This particular symbolism is not Victorian in nature. Cold turkey was often served at New Year's party buffets.)
In addition to special food, activities were planned to make the day special, such as parades, plays, and balls. Obviously you won’t be hosting your own private parade, but you can plan to have dancing.
New Year's Eve party ideas to host an old-fashioned, Victorian New Year’s party:
(1) Craft a traditional menu. To save on the costs of some dishes, use modern shortcuts or go more for the spirit of the dishes, rather than replicating them precisely. Some suggestions include: ham sandwiches, imitation lobster rolls, and decorated cookies.
(2) Choose a theme. Immerse your guests in bygone days with special fashions and decorations. Have guests wear vintage hats (or recreations), wear masks, or even dress up in Victorian-era costumes. Search online for renderings of Victorian-style decorations and tablescapes.
(3) Put on a “mummers play”. Traditionally a short play with some comedy, and signifying the battle between good and evil, a mummers play is a unique and entertaining way to throw a top-notch party. You could even have a mummers play competition between groups of guests, with prizes for the best one.
(4) Play parlour games. Old-fashioned favorites include Ball of Wool, Blind Man’s Buff (or Bluff), Change Seats, Charades, Reverend Crawley’s Game, The Minister’s Cat, and Wink Murder. Games like these get guests interacting, rather than being on their phones. They make for fantastic laughs and even better memories. One traditional way to enhance group games is to make the losers perform hilarious, and even somewhat humiliating, tricks or tasks as assigned by the rest of the group.
(5) Let them throw cake. Let people revive the messy, but guaranteed party favorite, tradition of cake-throwing. It’s said that throwing a cake against your exterior door will insure plenty to eat for your family in the coming year.
Josh Elledge - Chief Executive Angel
