Many residents throughout the community started the first day of 2015 off with family, friends and of course, keeping with tradition, some pork and sauerkraut. Tables quickly filled up at both the Bernville Fire Company and St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Hamburg, with people ready to start their new year off right.
The meal is a long time tradition in Germany and one that the Pennsylvania Dutch continue to this day. Traditionally the meal is eaten on New Year’s Eve in Germany. Eating sauerkraut, it is believed, will bring blessings and wealth for the new year according to German Food Guide. In some cases, those seated at the table wish each other as much goodness and money as the number of shreds of cabbage in the pot of sauerkraut. As for the pork, the pig is a symbol of good luck and well-being leading people to believe that eating pork will bring luck to the coming new year.
Poultry is traditionally not eaten on New Year’s Eve in Germany due to an old superstition that anyone that eats poultry on that night will lose all happiness as it is believed that all the good luck and happiness will fly away with the bird’s feathers.
Based on the crowds at both the fire company and church, it is obvious that many in the area still honor the tradition with the annual meal and even those who do not go out to these events often make their own at home.
For St. John’s it was the ninth annual pork and sauerkraut dinner which included pork, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes, applesauce, beverages and homemade desserts. Church members and friends enjoyed fellowship as well as the meal with many catching up on the holiday happenings and looking forward to the new year.
As soon as the door opened at Bernville Fire Company, the smell of sauerkraut was easy to pick out. Tables were lined up full with people enjoying an early dinner in the afternoon as their way of bringing in the new year. The dinner included pork roast which was new this year, homemade sauerkraut, freshly made mashed potatoes, bread and applesauce.
“The first fundraiser is in the books for 2015. Thank you to all that came out to support us today,” the fire company posted on their Facebook page later that day. “It was great to see you all. Thank you for all the compliments. That’s what makes our efforts to do better worth it. Also a huge thank you to all the volunteers who made it all possible. If today’s event was an indication 2015 will be a great year! Community support and teamwork equals success! Again thank you and Happy New Year!”
