PTFife Winter 2016

N
ew Year is a time that
is celebrated by all regardless
of the nationality and cultural
background. Most people believe that the
New Year gives them an opportunity to put
bad times behind them and look forward
to the coming year and its promises of
love, wealth and good times. New Year
is considered the best time to make
promises and resolutions - in Scotland we
mostly use it as an excuse to hold a party!
In Scotland Christmas was not celebrated
as a festival until the 1950s, instead
many Scots worked over Christmas and
celebrated their winter solstice holiday
at New Year when family and friends
would gather for a party and to exchange
presents, which came to be known as
hogmanays.
Most of our Hogmanay traditions stem
from the belief that you have to have your
house in order before midnight on the
31st December: the underlying message
being to clear out the remains of the old
year, have a clean break and welcome in a
young, New Year on a happy note.
The most well know traditions are still
followed today:
FIRST FOOTING
First Footing is still common across
Scotland. Traditionally it is believed that
your new year will be a prosperous one
if, at the stroke 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 he will be offered food, wine or
a wee dram of whisky. The dark stranger
is believed to be a throwback to Viking
times when a big blonde stranger arriving
on your door step with a big axe meant
big trouble, and probably not a very happy
New Year!
REDDING
Redding is essentially the equivalent of
a spring clean - done on New Year’s Eve.
Households must be spick and span by
the time the bells arrive, so that the New
Year can be welcomed with a clean slate
(or house, in this case). In generations
gone by, all fires were cleared of ashes
so that new ones could be started. It is
also a time to repay all outstanding debts.
And so with a clean house -- both literally
and figuratively -- the household could
commence celebrations with a light heart
and a clear conscience.
LOONY DOOK
For 30 years South Queensferry residents
have gathered on New Year’s Day to take
a dip in the ‘refreshing’ (or more likely,
freezing) waters of the River Forth. Initially
conceived by a small band of brave locals
as a hangover cure, the Loony Dook now
attracts around 1,500 Dookers with 4,000
spectators cheering them on.
BA’ GAME
The Ba’ is a traditional street football game
and is played every Christmas and New
Year’s Day in Kirkwall, Orkney. The game is
played in the streets of the town between
the Uppies and the Doonies. The Doonies
goal is the sea and The Uppies must round
Mackinson’s corner at the junction of Main
Street. There can be upwards of 300 men
playing and the game can last several
hours.
FIREBALLS
The firework displays and torchlight
processions now enjoyed throughout
many cities in Scotland are reminders
of the ancient pagan parties from those
Viking days of long ago. One of the most
spectacular Fire ceremonies takes place
in Stonehaven, just south of Aberdeen.
Giant fireballs, weighing up to 20 pounds
are lit and swung around on five feet long
metal poles, requiring 60 men to carry
them as they march up and down the
High Street. The roots of this tradition is
likely based on the desire to ward off evil
spirits and to endow the fishing fleet with
luck. The Fireball swingers each make
their own fireballs by filling wire baskets
with a mixture of flammable materials.
Participants keep their recipes secret but
the object is to create a fireball that will
stay lit and burn brightly for a long time.
AULD LANG SYNE
Auld Lang Syne is one of Scotland’s
gifts to the world, recalling the love and
kindness of days gone by. The poem,
written by Robert Burns, is recognised all
over the world and is sung at gatherings
from Edinburgh to New York’s Times
Square.
SOME OF THE MORE SPECTACULAR
CELEBRATIONS TAKING PLACE THIS YEAR
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is the biggest
New Year’s Eve party in the world. It
lasts an impressive 3 days and consists
of a Torchlight Procession, Street Party,
Concert in the Garden and Old Town
Ceilidh accompanied by hourly fireworks
displays from 9pm. The grand finale is the
famous Midnight Moment which lights up
the skies above the capital from Edinburgh
Castle and Calton Hill.
Stirling Hogmanay – A Carnival of Light
and Sound with a parade along King
Street. Kings Park will provide 2 hours of
free entertainment and at the stroke of
midnight expect spectacular fireworks.
The Stonehaven Fireballs - At the stroke
of midnight on December 31 a crowd of
strong Scots, most in kilts, light up the high
street of Stonehaven by whirling balls of
flame and sending showers of sparks into
the watching crowd.
The Comrie Flambeaux Procession
- At midnight eight flambeaux, or fiery
torches, begin their procession around the
Perthshire village of Comrie, before being
ceremoniously thrown in the River Earn.
The Biggar Bonfire – this Borders town
event dates back to the pagan times when
fire was worshipped and believed to ward
off evil spirits for the New Year. Even
during the wars the tradition was kept alive
by a group who burned a candle in a tin at
the bonfire site, so as not to attract enemy
bombers. The bonfire is lit at 9.30pm and
you can watch the event live by webcam.
This bonfire is one of the biggest you will
see – one year it burned for an impressive
5 days!
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Primary Times WINTER ISSUE
www.primarytimes.net/fife