More Snow Melt

Traditions I celebrated then and celebrate now

30-Day blogging challenge Day 3: July 3, 2011 ~ Prompt: Good Traditions – “Every country has its prestigious traditions. Some of those are our favorites. In the community you live now enumerate the good traditions you and your family are anxious to celebrate.”

The traditions I am anxious to celebrate have changed over the years. When I was a child, I looked forward to the Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years Day. Christmas Eve, my birthday, was not that enjoyable because when I unwrapped a birthday present my sibling could unwrap one Christmas present. Now I understand why my mother let them, but at the time, I did not understand and I did not enjoy the day.

Easter was always fun because Grandma and Grandpa bought each of us an Easter basket filled with sweet and colorful eggs, plus a chocolate Easter bunny. Mom and I kept the custom of the chocolate Easter bunny and every year I buy each of us a bunny. Next year I will buy Mom a hallow bunny because she can no longer tolerate.

Halloween was fun because we got to dress up and Grandpa took the four of us “Trick and Treating”. On the Fourth of July, we went to Lake Blackwell or Lake Carl Blackwell and shot off fireworks. Most of the fireworks we shot off are illegal today, but they were fun and colorful at the time. My Grandfather always watched us closely and made sure we were safe.

On Thanksgiving, we went to my Grandparents’ house for the Turkey Dinner. Grandpa always said grace before carving the turkey Grandma had cooked. Then on the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday), he took us into Blackwell to buy a live Christmas tree.

On New Year’s Day, we ate ham and had black-eyed peas. Grandma insisted on making black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day because it brought good luck for the year. In addition, Grandma would not clean house or do laundry that day (washing the dishes was an exception because that was part of making a meal) because what you did on January 1 you would be doing the rest of the year.

The holidays I look forward to now are Ayyam-i-Ha, Naw-Ruz, the Birth of Baha’u’llah, and the Birth of the Bab. I changed religions after moving to Las Vegas and am now a Baha’i. I look forward to all nine of the Baha’i Holy days. I also look forward to the nineteen-day Feast.