New Year's

So after my Christmas homesickness I wasn't really looking forward to New Year's.  Traditionally here on New Year's Eve families have a big dinner and ring in the new year together.  They spend the evening together and then have hot chocolate (thicker and more bitter than American hot chocolate) and churros before going to bed.  Younger people go out to clubs and dance the night away and upon returning home, have their churros with their family.  I posted pictures of my first churros a few months back; if you're interested, you can view them by clicking here.

Jonathan and I were invited to Manolo's daughter Miriam's home for dinner.  Before heading over to Miriam's we had a few cocktails together (since coming here we have been developing quite a bar and have been experimenting a lot with cocktails.  My favorites thus far are champagne cocktails, Disaronno sours, and French Connections.  I know, I know, I drink like a 19 year old girl.) and toasted just the two of us to the new year.  On facebook I had noted a lot of people happy to see 2010 end and happily welcoming a new year.  For me, 2010 was a great year.  I finished my masters degree, fell even more in love with my darling husband, and moved to Spain.  I understand that tragedies and hardships happen during people's lives, which would obviously affect the way you reflect upon the last year.  But when I was reading person after person discussing how horrible their year was, I couldn't help but wonder if these same people would be saying the same thing next year (unless that is, if I don't defriend them first ;).  I think that if you are good to others that good will come to you and that if you are unhappy with your life you need to take action to change it.  This may seem blatantly obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people don't act in this manner.  There are people who actively foster happiness in their lives and there are people who passively wait for this happiness to reach them.  If you wait, it may never come and you'll just end up bitching about it year after year on facebook.

We then walked up to Chelo and Gonzalo's house to say hello to everyone and wish them all a happy New Year.  They were preparing their New Year's meal.  The house was packed and everyone was in a great mood.  We hung out there saying hello to everyone for 20 minutes or so and then headed down to Miriam's for dinner.  We were served shrimp and crab to start.  We were then served Bachalao and cauliflower, the traditional New Year's meal, which was absolutely delicious.  They were boiled together and then served with an olive oil, garlic and paprika sauce.  We were then served roasted chicken and lamb (this course would have been awesomer if I wasn't already stuffed from the 2 previous courses).  We then had tons of different kinds of cakes, nuts, and fruits (including Jonathan's beautiful flan) with coffee and whiskey/brandy/coffee liquor shots.  Here's a picture of all of us at Miriam's:

In Spain, it is the tradition that during the last 12 seconds on New Year's Eve that you consume 12 grapes (1 for each month of the following year).  If you are able to eat them all before midnight strikes you will have luck throughout all of next year.  Since I have been with Jonathan we have done this together at New Year's as Jonathan's family continues this tradition on New York.  However, Jonathan was taught that so long as you finish the 12 grapes in the last 12 seconds you will be luckily.  After years of practice Jonathan has found that if you put all of the grapes in your mouth when the countdown begins and chew manically until midnight, that you will have a greater chance of success.  Being a gringo and an inexperienced grape eater I have assumed the same tactic.  This New Years Eve, we found out that this tactic is not practiced in Spain.  Before the countdown everyone was served Cava (Spanish sparkling wine) and given a dish of 12 grapes.  As the 12 seconds started Jonathan and I quickly rammed 12 grapes in our mouths and both successfully finished with about 5 seconds to spare.  As I was gloating in my victory I looked around at everyone else and quickly realized that they were all adding one grape to their mouths with the count of each second.  Much more orderly and less manic/barbaric. haha.  Everyone then went around kissing and hugging each other and then we all toasted to the New Year.  Jonathan and I hung around for another hour or two and then decided to go back over to Chelo and Gonzalo's to spend some time with them.  We spent another few hours with them, drinking, talking and eating desserts.  We got back home around 4 or so, talked to Jamerson, Jonathan's brother, on Google phone (the greatest invention ever) and then headed to bed.  We didn't end up having churros, I was feeling too lazy to make them.  :)  All in all I had a really great time and will certainly remember this New Year's Eve.