Hogmanay

Hogmanay

New Year’s Eve. Again. It feels as though the last one was just a few weeks ago. I’ve never been much of a celebrator of the occasion. I wondered recently whether I might be more inclined to celebrate if I lived in Scotland. Sadly, Hogmanay celebrations will be curtailed this year. In non-pandemic times though, the scenes north of the border (particularly in Edinburgh) always look spectacular. I’m enticed by the Celtic costumes, the pipers, the drummers, the feeling of history. All spread over three days of festivities.

There are various opinions on where the term Hogmanay originates. The most popular thought is that it comes from the French word, hoginane, meaning gala day. This may have arrived with Mary Queen of Scots, when she returned to Scotland from France in 1561. There might also be a Scandinavian link, drawing from the Old Norse word hoggo-nott, meaning Yuletide.

Beginnings

Hogmanay is often seen as a bigger celebration than Christmas. This perspective originates from a time when Christmas was banned in Scotland, for almost 4 centuries! In fact, the twenty-fifth of December only became a public holiday in 1958, later than the rest of Britain.

Long before the arrival of Christianity, Pagans celebrated the turn of the year around Winter Solstice, 21/22 December. It is thought that this celebration first saw the introduction of a Father Christmas (as we know him today) type figure who would join the revellers welcoming a return to longer hours of daylight. In gratitude for food and drink, the Pagan Winter King would promise a mild winter.

Later, Vikings brought with them the tradition of Odin, a Norse god, who travelled the world during Jultid (now known as Yuletide), rewarding those who had been good, and punishing the bad. Over the years, the legends of the Pagan and Norse combined to create Father Christmas. And the occasion was a time for food, drink, and general revelry. (Santa Claus was created by writers in America in the early nineteenth century. Possibly influenced by the Danish gift-giver, Sinterklaas.)

Banned

The December celebration was later adopted as a date to commemorate the birth of Jesus, which had not previously been marked. Feasting and merriment remained at the heart of the festival, until the Protestant Reformation during the 1500s. The raucous Catholic celebrations were regarded as little better than Pagan festivities. And in 1640, the Scottish Parliament passed a law making any form of Yule celebration illegal. Although the Act was withdrawn, in part, towards the end of the 17th century, the main celebration of the season had by now been pushed to New Year.

It is interesting to compare and contrast the English and Scottish reactions to the so-called ‘banning of Christmas’. In simple terms, the Scots obeyed, and merely moved their seasonal celebration to the turn of the year. Meanwhile, in England, which was subject to a similar ban in 1647, people rebelled. The resultant violent protests against parliament led to the start of the second civil war in 1648.

Traditions

A number of traditions around New Year originated in Scotland. The ‘first foot’ is still popular, and refers to the first person to cross the threshold after midnight on New Year’s Eve. Ideally, the person should have dark hair. This is thought to link to the times of the Viking conquests, where a fair haired visitor might be an invader bringing trouble. The visitor should bring gifts such as coal, bread, and salt to ensure warmth, food, and finance for the coming year.

Bonfires and fire festivals, thought to originate in Pagan and Norse times, are also popular in Scotland. The fires are used to drive evil spirits away, and possibly to welcome the Sun after the solstice. The best known is probably the Stonehaven Fireball Festival, in which up to 60 locals walk through the town swinging burning fireballs above their heads. Visitors from around the world attend to witness the spectacle.

Auld Lang Syne is traditionally sung to mark the turn of the year. The lyrics themselves reflect on old friendships, and days gone by. Robert Burns wrote the version which is known around the world, although he credited an old man with providing some of the content. Until Burns wrote it down, the song had never been committed to paper. He added a few of his own verses, which resulted in the version we know today. The song is usually sung by people holding hands in a circle, with hands crossed for the final verse. Crossing hands throughout the song is considered incorrect.

Whether or not we celebrate the start of a new year, there’s certainly much interesting Celtic history associated with the date.

Wishing you a Happy Hogmanay.