RĂ©veillon is celebrated throughout the world including New Orleans in the United States. (Google Images)

In a photo gallery, Chantal Martineau of the Huffington Post shares different New Year’s Eve traditions that occur throughout the African Diaspora. Martineau highlights “Watch Night,” which began with prayers for freedom on New Year’s Eve by slaves who were typically auctioned off on New Year’s Day in the U.S. and throughout the Caribbean.  Black-eyed peas and collard greens (prosperity and good luck) are staples in African-American communities on New Year’s Eve. She also shares the story of Haiti’s Soup Joumou, a pumpkin soup once forbidden to slaves, which is made in honor of their independence hard fought and won in 1804. The Junkanoo, which is a carnival featuring bands and costumes that began with slaves having the day off on New Year’s Eve, takes place in the Bahamas. RĂ©veillon happens worldwide including Brazil, where extravagant parties are hosted in celebration of the new awakening and attendees wear white to symbolize a fresh start.

The Junkanoo is New Year’s Eve tradition in the Bahamas. Celebrations are marked by music, dance, costumes and food as Bahamians highlight the coming of the New Year. During slavery, the Junkanoo was a celebration of having the day off. (Google Images)

However you choose to ring in the New Year, keep in mind that people throughout the African Diaspora will be participating in shared traditions marked by hope, peace and prosperity. The Burton Wire wishes you a happy and safe New Year.

View Martineau’s photo gallery of African Diasporic New Year’s Eve Traditions on Huffington Post.

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TheBurtonWire.com is the premiere online destination for people who think for themselves. This blog offers news from the African Diaspora, culture that is produced by often overlooked populations and opinion that is informed and based on fact. Tired of the onslaught of websites and talking heads that regurgitate what people want to hear, TheBurtonWire.com is a publication that elevates news and perspectives that people need to hear. TheBurtonWire.com is for individual thinkers who understand that they are part of a larger collective. What is this collective? Free thinking people that care about the world, who will not be categorized or boxed in by society or culture and are interested in issues and topics that defy stereotypes and conventional wisdom.