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! 22 Primary Times WINTER ISSUE www.primarytimes.net/fife
www.primarytimes.net/fife WINTER ISSUE Primary Times 23