There are many ways to bring in the New Year. Each country has their traditions and within each country, each family has their own way of celebrating. For Americans, the New Year frequently involves a party or gathering and fireworks...lots and lots of fireworks.
For Haitians, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day has an entirely different meaning. Jan. 1 is their Independence Day. Their preparations would have begun yesterday by going to the market to gather the ingredients, the meat (usually chicken, beef or goat), the many veggies (Haitian pumpkin-more like a squash than an American pumpkin, carrots, onions, garlic, cabbage, leeks, potatoes, root veggies like yanm and patat, parsley, celery, parsnip, turnips and others), spices (salt, pepper, scotch bonnet peppers, nutmeg to name a few) and the noodles.
When it is done, about 3, 4 or 5 a.m., they will all sit down and "drink" their soup. {In Creole you don't EAT soup, you DRINK it.} There is great symbolism in being able drink this pumpkin soup. [We actually call it "Independence Stew".]
As slaves in the 1700's, they prepared this delicacy for their French masters but they were not allowed to have any themselves. After they revolted and declared their independence on Jan. 1, 1804,, they made the soup and relished being able to drink it. Thus, drinking pumpkin soup, or soup joumou (pronounced joo-moo), symbolizes their freedom.
A Miami Herald article expresses it well. "For Haitians, this aromatic meal steeped both in tradition and vegetables is as much about celebrating the future as it is about paying homage to the past. New Year’s Day also happens to be Haiti’s Independence Day, which took place 213 years ago on Jan. 1, 1804." You can read the rest of the article HERE.
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