We did this thing for Christmas or anytime family was together we’d get in line, oldest to youngest, take a sip of wine, make a public wish, and a private wish, then pour the little shot of wine into a chicken that was cooking over the stove. It was a Venezuelan cultural thing we learned from my grandma who has been doing this since she was a child.
He knows this because his family still partakes in the tradition
He learned it from his parents who picked up the tradition from his grandmother
To him and his family it’s an opportunity for them to bond and express their good wishes for each other. However, beyond this, he doesn’t know the significance of the chicken, wine, or wishes. They just do it because that’s how things have been done for the last couple generations.
The context of this performance is that we were just talking about interesting traditions around the house that we have experienced.
I find this incredibly interesting, however I’m failing to find any connections between the chicken and wine and long life, beyond the idea of the coming together over food a traditional way for family to bond. Perhaps it has to do also with wine being a common Catholic symbol of importance, and when you’re sharing wine with someone it’s representative of being open and friendly with one another.
