We have a charming little New Year's tradition in my part of the world that I've missed for the past nine years (gosh, it's been that long?!?!). Parents and other adults would give their children and other youngsters cash--without being asked! It wouldn't be much--just five rupees, upped to 10, then 20, as age and inflation necessitated--not even enough to buy a candy cane on sale here.
But it was the whole build up to it, trying to guess how much would be forthcoming, and figuring out which adults could be milked for the money that was fun; and the well-laid plans afterwards for spending it. Plus, it was all done very surreptitiously--I've never quite figured out why. Usually we'd go to midnight mass, after which we'd come back home, eat, drink and make merry. At some point, there'd be hugging and kissing and wishing, and in the middle of all the swishing of new clothes and whirling of newly-done hair, somehow the cash would change hands. . .and before I knew it I would be standing there, 10 rupees richer.
There was a catch though--we had to keep the new money until the end of the year. Of course, we could use the cash from the previous year. But if it was a year when we got 10 rupees, but had only received five the previous year, we did feel a bit jipped. But the thought of five extra rupees to spend the following year kept us going.
I never quite asked why or how the tradition started. I guess the obvious answer is that it was a wish for prosperity and happiness for the following year. To me, at that time, it was a treasure that I would safely keep in my little red plastic purse, take out and look at occasionally, and plan carefully--taking into account the depreciating value of the currency and what world events were affecting inflation and all, of course--how I was going to spend it come next New Year's.
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6 comments:
That sounds like a lovely tradition. What dollar value is a rupe? Sorry to be so ignorant! Happy New Year!
Hatti: $1=44.21 Indian rupees and 108.68 Sri Lankan rupees (by today's exchange rates; at that time it was closer to the 30s for Indian rupees and high 40s to 50s for Sri Lankan rupees). I'm talking mostly about my time in India, but since I'm from Sri Lanka, didn't want to leave out my homeland :)And it's not ignorant at all--I doubt if most people know the exchange rates of currencies they don't use:)
That's a lovely tradition. When I was a child in UK, our New Years tradition was that a person with dark hair had to be the first across the threshold after midnight on New Year's Eve, carrying coal (to ensure warmth for the coming year), bread (to ensure plenty of food) and whisky (to ensure we wouldn't lack a drink or two.) I'm not quite sure why a dark-haired person was required.
That sounds really cool. For obvious reasons, that would have been a complete disaster if we'd try to do it!
I like how it had an element of waiting... waiting to receive, waiting to spend. Not bad things to cultivate for oneself.
Oh, and I can just picture the stampede of the Saminither family if you did that threshhold thing!!! :)
Love your reply to ex shammys comment! I can imagine all the dark haired children fighting to get through the door. It sounds like a great tradition and I am sure that it would help you value money.
I wonder if I could get the tradition back dated to my parents and relatives? Now let me see, that's 42 years with about 24 close relatives @ one English pound each, I think I will ask them for about a thousand pounds in total by cash ......yipeeee!!!!!!
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