Hogmanay: It's a tradition!
By Anita Fitzsimons and Craig Frew
Hogmanay: it's the one night of the year when everyone wants to be Scottish, taking part in the world-famous hedonism of the New Year celebrations, singing the centuries-old words of Robbie Burns in a rendition of Auld Lang Syne. Why is the 31st December so inextricably linked with Caledonian capers and enchanted Celtic rituals?
The origins of Hogmanay are a heady mix of arcane customs, Celtic revelry and pagan behaviour. The word itself probably comes from the Old French aguillanneuf, meaning the "last day of the year", harking back to a time when gifts where given and received. Because people used to go round houses guising for food, the day was also known as Cake Day.
Hug-me-now
One intriguing explanation dates back to 1824, when John MacTaggart suggested, "I think Hog-ma-nay means hug-me-now". It's uncanny as today this affectionate scene can be witnessed in Scotland's towns and cities as the bells chime at midnight on New Year's night.
Central to our Hogmanay celebrations are traditions which seem to go hand-in-hand with the excess and wildness that are synonymous with the season.
Many customs have scarcely changed throughout the years. Children's presenter Blythe Brockett explains the traditions of Hogmanay in a pre-school programme in 1984, with striking similarities to today's celebrations.
Draw in Your Chair
Roddy McMillan and Alec Brand keep the fire burning with song and chat in Draw in Your Chair, a variety show from 1959. Promotional trail for BBC One Scotland's Hogmanay 2009 programmes. Roddy Hart chats backstage at the rehearsals for BBC One Scotland's Hogmanay Live!
First-footing is the most revered Hogmanay ritual, dating back as far as Viking days. By tradition, a tall dark stranger could bring good luck to a house by turning up to first foot, preferably straight after the bells at midnight. The darker the man's complexion the better, since no one wanted a Viking turning up on their doorstep - that could only mean trouble!
The White Heather Club
Andy Stewart introduces the lively Hogmanay entertainment show from Glasgow. Promotional trail for BBC One Scotland's Hogmanay 2009 programmes. Roddy McMillan and Alec Brand keep the fire burning with song and chat in Draw in Your Chair, a variety show from 1959.
A first-footer should bring several gifts to the door as an expression of warm wishes to the host's family. Uisge beatha ("the water of life", otherwise known as whisky!) and a lump of coal, the classic traditional Hogmanay offerings.
Generous first-footers also bring a gift of a supremely-moist and very rich fruit cake in a pastry crust called a black bun. This tradition dates back to pre-Reformation times, when on Twelfth Night on January 6 (known as Uphalieday in Scotland), a party celebrated the culmination of the winter festival period, which was known as "Daft Days". Whoever got the piece of fruit cake containing a pea and a bean would become the king and queen of the uphalieday celebrations.
A guid new year to ane an a
As the midnight revels continue, a chorus of Auld Lang Syne fills the air at Hogmanay celebrations across the country. The traditional poem was reinterpreted by Robert Burns and later set to music. The widespread popularity of the song means worldwide, sober or not, a rendition will undoubtedly be heard on New Year's night.
The Hogmanay Party
Bill McCue sings a lament for New Year’s Eve in 1982’s The Hogmanay Party. Promotional trail for BBC One Scotland's Hogmanay 2009 programmes. Roddy McMillan and Alec Brand keep the fire burning with song and chat in Draw in Your Chair, a variety show from 1959.
Many local Hogmanay celebrations recall ancient Norse and pagan festivals and are often themed around fire. One of the most famous is in Stonehaven near Aberdeen, where a parade of swinging fireballs symbolically burn out the old year and evil spirits.
As the bells ring to welcome the New Year, crowds gather to watch a procession of around forty people walk through Stonehaven old town swinging fiery balls of burning material, held by wire or chains, around their heads.
The Hogmanay Show (1999)
Hazel Irvine, Chick Young and Tam Cowan usher in a new millennium from the studio in Glasgow. Promotional trail for BBC One Scotland's Hogmanay 2009 programmes. Roddy McMillan and Alec Brand keep the fire burning with song and chat in Draw in Your Chair, a variety show from 1959.
Other fire-raising festivals include the ceremonial "Burning of the Clavie" in the small Morayshire village of Burghead. This takes place annually on January 11, which was the date of the original Hogmanay before the calendar changed in 1660. A half-barrel filled with wood shavings and tar, the clavie is carried round the streets by the elected Clavie King to the Doorie Hill, an old Roman fort.
BBC Radio Scotland: Old Year's Night
Those who are handed smouldering pieces of the clavie believe that it will bring good fortune in the forthcoming year. Promotional trail for BBC One Scotland's Hogmanay 2009 programmes. Roddy McMillan and Alec Brand keep the fire burning with song and chat in Draw in Your Chair, a variety show from 1959.
Uppies, doonies and loonies
In Orkney, New Year's Day is the stage for the Handba' game in Kirkwall, between the Uppies and the Doonies, and it's a fiercely-contested annual event. Lads born in the north of the town, the Up-the-Gates battle the southerners, the Doon-the-Gates. The objective of the game is to get a leatherball filled with cork down to the harbour as quickly as possible.
Edinburgh is renowned across the globe for the biggest Hogmanay celebrations. However, one tradition is not for the faint-hearted, with swimmers heading for an annual dip on the banks of the River Forth. The Loony Dook, which celebrates its 25th anniversary, has grown in popularity each year and in 2010 over 1000 braved the chilly waters on New Year's Day all in the name of charity.
Staying in and nursing a hangover sounds much more preferable...
© 2012