As the calendar turns, the beautiful Devonshire countryside, home to our historic Langage Farm, celebrates the New Year with charming local customs and traditions passed down through generations. Here is a look at how we ring in the New Year, Devon-style, to ensure a happy and prosperous twelve months!
The Power of the First Foot
The tradition of First Footing is deeply rooted across Devon. The belief is that the first person to cross your home’s threshold after midnight determines your luck for the year.
The Ideal Guest: Good fortune is traditionally brought by a tall, dark-haired man who is not already a resident of the house.
The Gifts: To ensure good luck, this visitor should bring symbolic items like coal (for warmth), bread (so the house is never hungry), and salt (for wealth).
A Clean Slate: It’s also considered bad luck to let anything leave the house on New Year’s Day (not even rubbish!) until the First Footer has visited, ensuring all the year’s luck is kept inside.
Whispers of the Black Rabbit
While the tradition of saying “Black Rabbits, White Rabbits” at midnight is often attributed to Yorkshire, the rabbit holds a strong place in Devonshire folklore, especially near our farm by Dartmoor. The famous ‘Tinners’ Rabbits’ (three hares sharing three ears) motif is found in over thirty medieval churches across Devon, a symbol associated with prosperity and the region’s rich mining history.
Though the connection to New Year’s is mainly a general lucky charm, the rabbit’s long-standing significance here means that even mentioning this iconic creature in the closing seconds of the old year is a nod to our deep-rooted country traditions, helping to usher in a year of good luck across the Devon hills.
Happy New Year from all of us here at Langage Farm Dairy!