CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx \u2014 From burning Palo Santo to eating black-eyed peas, in my African American and Latino household, we took New Year’s Eve traditions very seriously.<\/p>\n
New Year’s Eve traditions look different in every household. I’m showing you how cultures across Corpus Christi are welcoming the New Year.<\/p>\n
Victoria Prewitt is the owner of “Positive Intentions” a spiritual store along Everheart. Born in Mexico, I wanted to know what Latin traditions Prewitt follows this holiday, so I sat down with her and asked.<\/p>\n
“Florida water which is traditionally used. You see sage which is used,” Victoria Prewitt, Owner of Positive Intentions, said.<\/p>\n
Corpus Christi families share diverse New Year’s traditions from spiritual cleansing to black-eyed peas<\/p>\n
She says most of her customers come in for a limpieza, also known as a spiritual cleansing.<\/p>\n
“They do want to go into the new year being cleansed,” Prewitt said.<\/p>\n
She says burning candles and incense are very popular within Latin culture, also taking baths or cleaning with Florida water, a spiritual cleansing water.<\/p>\n
“They’ll wash their walls with it. And pushing everything negative from last year out the front door,” Prewitt said.<\/p>\n
So I asked her what she believes you can do at home, to help your New Year become a little sweeter.<\/p>\n
“Cinnamon at the front door to bring in prosperity,” Prewitt said.<\/p>\n
On the Westside of the city, I met with Dorothy Wade. She tells me her birth certificate shows she was born on a plantation, so all she knows are Black Southern traditions.<\/p>\n
“Of course you had to have the black eyed peas. Because those black eyed peas, were for luck,” Dorothy Wade said.<\/p>\n
The history behind the tradition is that black-eyed peas look like coins, so it helps bring in money.<\/p>\n
When people deny these traditions, she says:<\/p>\n
“It’s worked for me. I’m here at 72 years of age,” Wade said.<\/p>\n
And says sticking to these traditions didn’t just bring in luck \u2014 it helped save families.<\/p>\n
“Even if we were mad at each other, by the time we got back to the kitchen table, we weren’t,” Wade said.<\/p>\n
So whether you eat black-eyed peas or clean with Florida water, traditions are traditions that can help you ring in the New Year.<\/p>\n
As the clock counts down and a New Year begins, these traditions remind us that no matter how we celebrate, we’re all hoping for a better year.<\/p>\n
“This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.”<\/p>\n
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