By Catherine McKinley
Christmas is ancient. Celtic pagans held celebrations around the time of Winter solstice (Dec. 21 or 22) acknowledging the shortest day of the year. The festivities were to brighten the dark winter days, and get the gods to return the Sun.Vikings began settling Scotland in the late 700s AD bringing their own way of celebrating the Winter solstice, which they referred to as Jól (“Yule”).
Before the Reformation in 1560, Christmas in Scotland had been a religious feasting day. Then, the powerful Kirk (Church), deciding that it had sunk into just drunken, rowdy festivities. So, the Scottish Parliament passed a law in 1640 that made celebrating Yule illegal. Amazingly, It wasn’t until 1958 that December became a Scottish public holiday. That is why Hogmanay (New Year) celebrations in Scotland became so important.
Hogmanay traditions include:
Burning a Rowan Twig: Get rid of any bad feelings between friends.
First Footer: The first person to arrive after midnight on New Year’s Eve who brings gifts such as black buns & a dram of whiskey.
The Stonehaven Fireballs Festival: For nearly a century, residents of this Aberdeenshire town have paraded the streets swinging giant fireballs to purge the old year.
House Redding: Some encourage good luck in the New Year by cleaning their house from top to bottom on Dec. 31st.
January 25th is Burns Night and is a celebration of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, and his contributions to Scottish culture. His most famous contribution is as the author of “Aulde Lang Zyne” (“old long ago”), sung at midnight on December 31st.