Hogmanay, the Scottish New Year is Celebrated Much like it was in Pagan Times

The Scottish celebration of Hogmanay (Night of the Candle) has its roots in the Norse winter solstice and the Gaelic celebration of Samhain (sow-an rhymes with clow-an). For the Scottish, the New Year is equal to if not more celebrated than Christmas. Until 1960 Christmas was a work day in Scotland. But not "The Daft Days" which include Hogmanay (New Year's Eve) and Ne'erday (New Year's Day) and sometimes a couple of more days after that. Handsel Day, still observed in some areas on the first Monday of the new year is the day for gift giving. Many customs from ancient times are heartily embraced in Scotland.

Feasting

A Black bun is a rich fruit cake wrapped in a pastry. It's the traditional fare on Hogmanay, served with shortbread biscuits and whisky (whiskey with the 'e' is from somewhere other than Scotland). Lunch on New Year's day is usually a hearty hangover cure. Steak pie and potatoes are customary. Dinner is a family feast. Often Scotch Broth Soup starts the meal. Many Scots have traditional foods for New Year's dinner. Haggis, neeps and tatties, or clootie dumpling are often featured on the holiday table. Occasionally dinner includes even older recipes like clapshot or rumbledethumps.

The Redding

The Redding (readying) is a exhaustive housecleaning. In Scotland, it's bad form to meet the New Year with a dirty house. Special attention is given to the ashes in the fireplace. Someone with a talent for divining reads the ashes of the last fire of the year. From these he or she is able to predict what the New Year will hold. Sometimes the house is smoked with burning juniper branches and sprinkled with blessed water. Debts from the past year must also be paid. All the cleaning, smoking, sprinkling, and paying of debts must be completed before "the bells" at midnight on New Year's Eve so that the New Year can be welcomed with a clean house and clear conscience.

First-footing

The first person to cross the threshold on New Year's day determines the luck the household will have for the rest of the year. Red heads, women, doctors, gravediggers, flat-footed people and folks whose eyebrows meet in the middle bring bad luck. A red headed woman with flat-feet and eyebrows that meet in the middle would presumably be a very bad sign, especially if she didn't bring a gift. The ideal first-footer is a dark-haired handsome man bearing gifts of coal, bread or wisky. Many householders arrange secretly to entice a lucky first-footer to cross their threshold first. Scottish hospitality dictates, however, that the first-footer must be invited in no matter if he's lucky or not. Throwing salt on an open fire or placing a cross made of rowan twigs on the front door and saying the name of God before the first-footer speaks can undo the bad luck.

Fire

Throughout Scotland Hogmanay celebrations center around fire rituals. Many cities and villages practice rites passed down for centuries. The general idea is that fire burns away the old year to make room for the new. As it burns the fire chases away evil spirits and purifies the town. In Stonehaven large numbers of men walk through the streets swinging flaming balls of flammable material held together by chicken wire. The talented fireball handlers draw large crowds with their antics. The "Burning of the Clavie" in Burghead is a similar festival. Instead of fireballs the residents of Burghead light a tar filled barrel on fire. The barrel is carried clockwise around town. Flaming embers are given out as good luck. Many other cities in Scotland have similar festivities. Fire as a purification rite is a big part of Scottish New Year.

Hogmanay celebrations are one of the biggest events of the year in Scotland. If you aren't able to visit, you can always watch on webcam.

A guid New Year to ane an` a` and mony may ye see! (A good New Year to one and all, and many may you see)