LeRoy Pennysaver & News

LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - DECEMBER 26, 2021 by Lynne Belluscio Please join us at LeRoy House on New Year’s Eve as you wait for the fireworks at 9:00 pm. The house will open at 8 pm and there will be hot chocolate. There is plenty of parking behind LeRoy House and it’s a short walk up the Jell-O Brick Road to LeRoy House. Also, the front and back parlors will still be decorated with “LeRoy’s Historical Christmas Trees” if you didn’t get a chance to see them before. The LeRoy Business Council, once again is sponsoring the fireworks, and I am sure they could use your support. Traditions associated with NewYear’s Eve are plentiful. One of the more interesting is in Spain, where at the stroke of midnight, people eat 12 grapes, “the twelve grapes of luck” which leads to prosperity for the following year. Other food traditions include eating lentils – which were to symbolize coins, for prosperity. (My German family always had lentil soup on NewYear’s.) And in the south, black eyed peas and collards are a sign of the New Year. Of course, most people know about Robert Burns’ poem, Auld Lang Syne” written in 1788 based on an old Scottish folk song. Translated, it means “old long since” or “for the sake of old times.” ( In Scotland, New Year’s Eve is known as Hogmanay.) The tradition of singing the song in the United States was popularized by the bandleader Guy Lombardo who had first heard the song sung in his hometown of London, Ontario where it was sung by Scottish immigrants. Fireworks, which are associated with the Fourth of July, have been a part of the New Year’s traditions. Fireworks were invented by the Chinese centuries ago, and the “good luck” of setting off fireworks has always been a popular event. Usually the fireworks are set off at midnight, to welcome the new year, but many communities, including LeRoy, have scheduled the fireworks so that young folks - - and old folks - - can enjoy the festivities without having to stay up to midnight. The Historical Society hopes to join in the festivities this year, with some special “fireworks” of its own, but the plans are not yet completed, so you may have to come to LeRoy House to see if we were able to make all the arrangements. Best wishes for a good New Year! Staying Warm Before the Fireworks on New Year’s Eve Image from Daily News Online, 2020