Hogmanay
What is
Hogmanay?
From www.hogmanay.net
Hogmanay is celebrated on New Year's Eve, every year, usually in a
most exuberant fashion in Scotland as hundreds of thousands of revelers
take to the streets to see in the New Year.
What are the
origins of Hogmanay? Hogmanay's roots reach back to the pagan practice of sun and fire
worship in the deep mid-Winter. This evolved into the ancient Saturnalia,
a great Roman Winter festival, where people celebrated completely free
of restraint and inhibition.
The Vikings celebrated
Yule, which became the twelve days of christmas, or the "Daft
Days" as they became known in Scotland. The Winter festival went
underground with the Reformation and ensuing years, but re-emerged at the
end of the 17th Century. Since then the customs have continued to evolve
to the modern day.
For more go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hogmanay
What is the
symbolism of fire at Hogmanay?
The flame and fire at Hogmanay symbolises many things. The bringing of the
light of knowledge from one year to the next, lighting the way into the
next uncharted century, putting behind you the darkness past, but carrying
forward its sacred flame of hope and enlightenment to a better parish, and
in this day, world.
First Footing |
What is First Footing?
Traditionally, it has been held that your new year will be a prosperous one if, at the strike of midnight, a "tall, dark stranger" appears at your door with a lump of coal for the fire, or a cake or coin. In exchange, you offered him food, wine or a wee dram of whisky, or the traditional Het Pint, which is a combination of ale, nutmeg and whisky. It's been sugggested that the fear associated with blond strangers arose from the memory of blond-haired Viking’s raping and pillaging Scotland circa 4th to 12th centuries. What's more likely to happen these days is that groups of friends or family get together and do a tour of each others' houses. Each year, a household takes it in turn to provide a meal for the group. In many parts of Scotland gifts or "Hogmananys" are exchanged after the turn of midnight.