Last day of 2007

Absolutely amazing! Another year come and gone!
Today has been spent in a Ex-pat sort of dream state, we got up early, had coffee on the terraza, listened to the birds. After a light lunch of sandwiches catered by the little store on the corner, not our normal little store, the other one a whole block away (next to Dunosusa). A nap to prepare for being up all night, feasting, drinking and performing some time honoured rituals.
Mexicans, in common with other Hispanics, eat 12 grapes at the stroke of midnight, each grape representing the months of the new year, it's not as easy as you think, because, of course, you buy the most beautiful and largest grapes you can. My neighbors also step into and out of the doorway with luggage, to signify that they are going to travel during the new year (little brother teasing big sister "yeah, travel, she's going to take the Autoprogreso bus to the beach!". There also is the custom here of wearing yellow or red underwear for luck too.
In the Diario de Yucatan there was this article denouncing such practices as pagan, witchcraft and sins! Well, the Diario didn't do the denouncing, they reprinted the article from "El Universal" in Mexico City.
I was amazed, the article lists the traditions above plus more, the little sheep that the Yucatecan's are fond of, wool (lana) is slang for money, something about seeds that are blessed to bring abundance. This practices are all pagan and are imperiling our mortal souls. Since when has the Catholic Church renewed the Inquisition? I know that it's common practice for Protestants to rant and rave about such silliness, after all protestant takes it's name from protesting, and that branch of Christianity has always been militant against any deviation from their teachings. But is the Catholic church going to go down that road now?
I somehow doubt that these pronouncements are really going to make any difference in how New Years is celebrated here, even though we think of Mexico as a Catholic country, it isn't not the way European countries are, there are still tunnels and bolt holes underneath the churches here, where the priests hid from the government.
Maybe I should reread the article for some new traditions to add to our New Year's celebrations? I love all those all superstitions.