It �s a superstition, one that I �m not familiar with, that implies that bad things will happen if your fire goes out on December 31. As a southern American, I �m much more familiar with the superstition that one should eat black-eyed peas and some kind of greens (such as collards, turnip greens, kale, or spinach) on New Year �s Day. The black-eyed peas represent pennies and the greens represent dollars. Some people also eat hog �s jowls (or cheeks), but I �m not fond of pork.