As another year draws to a close in the Great Smoky Mountains, the people of Maggie Valley gear up not just for celebration but for a renewal of mountain traditions. The arrival of 2026 is greeted here with time-honored Appalachian New Year traditions that infuse the occasion with meaning and warmth. These old customs – passed from generation to generation – offer more than quirky superstitions or folksy fun. They carry bits of Smoky Mountain heritage and homespun wisdom, helping us start the New Year with mindfulness, intention, gratitude, and a deep connection to our roots.
A Smoky Mountain New Year’s Feast for Good Fortune
Our Favorite New Year’s Meal Brings Luck & Money | Our State
Come New Year’s Day morning, many Appalachian kitchens come alive with the savory aroma of collard greens and black-eyed peas simmering on the stove. In my family, we wake up early on January 1st to fry up some hog jowl (salt-cured pork) and cook a pot of seasoned black-eyed peas and greens. This hearty New Year’s meal is no random menu – it’s a mountain tradition meant to usher in health and prosperity. Folks around here believe that a big helping of black-eyed peas and greens on New Year’s Day will make you “healthy, wealthy, and wise” in the coming year. The foods are symbolic: the round black-eyed peas represent coins and good luck, while green collards represent paper money (wealth), and golden cornbread represents gold. In other words, each bite is a small prayer for good fortune and plenty in the new year.
My Granny, of course, had her own way of explaining it. She never actually observed the peas-and-greens custom in her youth – and when I told her as an adult about the tradition, she cackled and said, “Well no wonder we never had no money – we never ate the right thing on New Year’s Day!”. That bit of mountain humor hides a kernel of truth. Starting the year with a humble, shared meal reminds us to be grateful for what we have and hopeful for what’s to come. In the old days, a pot of peas, greens and a little pork was a feast made from whatever folks could scrape together in winter. Even today, sitting down to this New Year’s Day supper is a lesson in gratitude and simplicity – a nourishing ritual that ties us to generations past and the abundance of the present.
First Footers: Welcoming Luck at the Door
While the pots are bubbling on the stove New Year’s morning, another Appalachian tradition may already be in play: the First Footer. When I was growing up, neighbors paid close attention to who would be the first to step through their front door after midnight. In mountain lore, the identity of this “first footer” can set the tone for the whole year. According to the old belief, if the first person to enter your home on New Year’s Day is a tall, dark-haired man, you’re sure to have good luck for the coming year. Families in these parts have been known to arrange for a preferred first visitor – maybe an uncle, a cousin, or a neighbor – to drop by just after the stroke of midnight, to ensure good fortune kicks off right away.
Tradition also holds that the first-footer ought to come bearing a small gift for the household. In some Scots-Irish Appalachian families, a first-footer might carry a lump of coal for the hearth, a loaf of bread for the table, or even a splash of whiskey for good cheer – tokens meant to bless the home with warmth, food, and happiness. One charming story I heard was about a grandmother who, if a woman happened to be the first to knock on her door New Year’s Day, would shoo her back outside and send a man in first instead. In fact, one mountain granny insisted a male relative step through the door before anyone else on New Year’s – she once made her brother come inside first to make sure the year’s luck was set right! It might seem old-fashioned, but these First Footer customs reflect a heartfelt idea: start the year by welcoming in good intentions and good people. It’s a way of saying “May our home be filled with friendly faces and luck all year long.” Even if we smile at the superstition today, the act of consciously welcoming luck and community into our homes is a beautiful intention to carry into 2026.
Making a Ruckus to Chase Away Bad Luck
For all the calm silence of an Appalachian winter night, you can bet that at midnight on New Year’s Eve, the mountains echo with revelry. Shooting guns and setting off fireworks as the New Year rolls in is common practice in my neck of the woods: our rural answer to noisemakers and party poppers. When I was a kid, I remember how the hills would light up with distant flashes and booms. My uncles would step onto the porch and fire a couple of celebratory shots into the starry sky (safely away from anything, of course), while us children banged pots and pans together on the steps. There’s a reason behind the racket: all that noise is meant to chase off any lingering bad spirits or bad luck from the old year. In fact, some folks will throw open every door and window at midnight to let the old year’s troubles blow out into the darkness. We’ll holler, whoop, and make a joyous ruckus to scare away misfortune, clearing the slate for a bright new year.
NC Possum Drop ends, held last time 2018 New Year’s in Brasstown | Raleigh News & Observer
Not all New Year’s customs here are strictly old or serious, either – mountain people have always had a playful streak. A great example is the now-famous “Possum Drop” in Brasstown, North Carolina, just down the road from Maggie Valley. Yes, you read that right: instead of a sparkling ball drop, folks in Brasstown ring in the New Year by gently lowering a live opossum in a plexiglass pyramid at the stroke of midnight! (appalachianhistory.net) The crowd cheers as the clock counts down, and the bewildered possum (a local mascot of sorts) is safely returned to the woods afterward. It’s a relatively new tradition – only a couple decades old – but it’s become a beloved local quirk. The Possum Drop might make outsiders chuckle, but to us it fits right in with the spirit of mountain celebration: resourceful, a little quirky, rooted in nature, and full of good humor. Whether it’s gunshots echoing off the ridges or an opossum descent in the town square, the message is the same: shake off the past year’s dust and start the next one with a bang (or a laugh). In doing so, we symbolically drive out negativity and welcome happiness, which is something anyone can appreciate heading into 2026.
Old Sayings and New Wisdom
Alongside the lively celebrations, the Smokies are rich with sayings passed down for New Year’s – little nuggets of wisdom disguised as superstition. One I heard often was: “Whatever you are doing at midnight on New Year’s Eve is what you’ll be doing all year.” In other words, be mindful of how you kick off January 1st! So around here you’ll find couples sharing a kiss or families gathered in prayer right at 12:00, believing that starting the year with love and gratitude will set a positive tone for all 365 days to follow. Even the less traditional among us have to admit, there’s something to that idea – it encourages us to start the year doing something meaningful, rather than, say, arguing or staring at our phones.
And then there are the cautionary New Year’s superstitions, often delivered with a wink. Did you know you’re not supposed to do any laundry on New Year’s Day? Mountain folklore says washing clothes as the year begins could “wash away” someone you love – courting bad fortune or even death in the family. A bit morbid? Sure. But the real message is gentler: take a break from chores and focus on family on New Year’s Day. (In fact, many Appalachian mamas would insist that no sweeping or scrubbing occur on January 1st either – why sweep out the good luck?) The theme in these sayings is to be intentional and present as the year dawns. Don’t start a new year by immediately burying yourself in toil or routine. Instead, pause and savor the moment, set positive intentions, and trust that no task is more important than embracing the blessing of a fresh start.
Nearly every superstition and custom here, when you tug at it, has a practical heart. They remind us to celebrate wholeheartedly, to put loved ones first, and to keep hope and gratitude at the center of our lives. In our modern era of endless to-do lists and digital distractions, such old-fashioned advice can be a balm. These Appalachian traditions offer something universal as we step into a new year: a chance to reflect, to let go of what we don’t need, and to carry forward what matters most. In essence, they set us up for a more mindful start to 2026, guided by the wisdom of those who came before.
Carrying Tradition into 2026 at Meadowlark Motel
Here at Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley, we cherish these New Year traditions and the sense of belonging they nurture. Our cozy mountain inn is more than just a place to sleep – it’s a gateway into the local culture. The Smoky Mountains are steeped in a powerful legacy of history, music, and Appalachian folkways, and at Meadowlark Motel we are committed to honoring and preserving that heritage. We want every guest to feel a genuine connection to the land and culture from the moment they arrive. Around the New Year, that might mean sharing a pot of black-eyed peas and collards with visitors in the morning, or gathering around our outdoor fire pit on New Year’s Eve to swap stories about family superstitions and mountain lore. Don’t be surprised if someone breaks out a fiddle or banjo – music and story go hand-in-hand here, especially when we’re marking a special occasion.
Guests often tell us they feel like family when they stay at Meadowlark Motel. Perhaps it’s the way the winter moonlight drapes over the surrounding hills, or the sound of Jonathan Creek flowing by, but there’s a peace here that makes reflection come naturally. You might sip a cup of hot coffee on a frosty New Year’s morning, gazing at the mist lifting off the Smokies, and feel the same calm that generations of mountaineers have felt in these hills. In that peaceful moment, you’re not just ringing in the New Year, you’re experiencing the abiding spirit of the mountains – a spirit of resilience, community, and hope.
As we stand at the doorstep of 2026, the Appalachian wisdom of these New Year traditions invites us to slow down and celebrate what truly matters. Whether you’re a local who grew up with collards and first-footers, or a traveler discovering these customs for the first time, there’s a warm welcome for you here in Maggie Valley. The Smoky Mountain heritage lives on in each shared meal, each story told, each fireworks boom at midnight that makes us grin and nod in understanding. New Year, old traditions – may these mountain lessons guide your path into 2026 with mindfulness, gratitude, and a heart full of hope and if your journey brings you to our neck of the woods, we at Meadowlark Motel will have a light on and maybe a bowl of black-eyed peas waiting, so you can start the year embraced by the simple joys of Appalachian hospitality. Happy New Year, y’all! 🎉
