Tastes of Scotland: Hogmanay

Carolyn McDonald Graf

The end of the year holidays are a time of reflection and celebration of the year past. They are also a time to look ahead for new ideas and hope for prosperous times. Here’s a look back at some previous articles with ideas of ways to add a few Scottish traditions to your holidays.

Hogmanay

Scottish New Year

The time of year, when days darken and grow colder, has always had deep meaning: a time to look over the past and wish for a bright future. Long ago it was a time of fear for losing the sun’s influence on the coming seasons. Activities were created to encourage the sleeping spirits to return. People who lived in the far North seldom saw the sun during the winter months and lit great fires for warmth, light, and to ward off wolves, witches, and evil spirits. The flames also had a symbolic role in clearing away the dying year and purifying minds for the year ahead.

As centuries passed, the celebrations became more sophisticated; more symbols and activities were added. Yule included almost a month of festivities covering Christmas, Hogmanay, and much of January.

After the Reformation in Scotland, every religious rite and celebration was condemned and those who were caught in such practices were severely punished. In 1638, the General Assembly in Edinburgh tried to abolish completely the observance of Yule. It did not succeed entirely, but resulted in the centering of festivities on the New Year rather than Christmas. In fact, Christmas remained a normal working day in Scotland until 1958.

The word Hogmanay first appeared in print in 1604, but the name and traditions go back much further. It is suggested the word could be old Norman French from hoguinan (a New Year’s gift). But it also could be a variation of the Gaelic og maidne (new morning), the Flemish hoog min dag (day or love) or, at a stretch, the Anglo Saxon haleg monath (holy month).

Five Hogmanay Traditions

“Besides concerts, street parties, fireworks and more earthbound fire spectaculars, as well as consumption of one of Scotland’s most famous products, Scotch whisky, a number of very ancient traditions associated with Hogmanay in Scotland can still be found in smaller communities and private celebrations:

  1. Redding the House – Like the annual spring cleaning in some communities, or the ritual cleaning of the kitchen for the Jewish festival of Passover, families traditionally did a major cleanup to ready the house for the New Year. Sweeping out the fireplace was very important and there was a skill in reading the ashes, the way some people read tea leaves. And, at a time of year when fire plays a huge part in celebrations, it’s only natural to bring a bit of it into the house. After the big cleanup, someone goes from room to room carrying a smoking juniper branch to discourage evil spirits and chase away disease.
  2. First Footing After the stroke of midnight, neighbors visit each other, bearing traditional symbolic gifts such as shortbread or black bun, a kind of fruit cake. The visitor, in turn, is offered a small whisky – a wee dram. The first person to enter a house in the New Year, the first foot, could bring luck for the whole year to come. The luckiest was a tall, dark and handsome man. The unluckiest a red head and the unluckiest of all a red-haired woman.
  3. Bonfires and Fire Festivals Scotland’s fire festivals at Hogmanay and later in January may have pagan or Viking origins. The use of fire to purify and drive away evil spirits is an ancient idea. Fire is at the center of Hogmanay celebrations in Stonehaven, Comrie and Biggar and has recently become an element in Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebration.
  4. The Singing of Auld Lang Syne All over the world, people sing Robert Burns’ version of this traditional Scottish air. How it became the New Year’s song is something of a mystery. At Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, people join hands for what is reputed to be the world’s biggest Auld Lang Syne.
  5. The Saining of the House This is a very old rural tradition that involved blessing the house and livestock with holy water from a local stream. Although it had nearly died out, in recent years it has experienced a revival. After the blessing with water, the woman of the house was supposed to go from room to room with a smoldering juniper branch, filling the house with purifying smoke (there’s that smoldering juniper branch again). Of course, this being a Scottish celebration, traditional mayhem was sure to follow. Once everyone in the household was coughing and choking from the smoke, the windows would be thrown open and reviving drams (or two or three) of whisky would be passed around.” 1

1https://www.tripsavvy.com/hogmanay-traditions-in-scotland-1661711

Hogmanay Bannock

The word bannock covers several different kinds of bread. It usually refers to a griddle or ‘girdle’ cake, made with oatmeal, pease-meal or wheat flour. From earliest times special bannocks were made for Highland feast days and celebrations. Bannocks were made for Highland quarter days to celebrate the change of seasons, for marriages and Christmas. There were crying bannocks for a child’s birth and ‘teethin’ bannocks which included a ring for the baby to later teethe on. These early bannocks were a version of today’s shortbread and were not cut into servings but pieces were broken off to share.

There was a description of a Hogmany Bannock from 1879 made from fresh-ground oats flavored with caraway seeds. It was round in shape with a hole in the middle and pinched around the edge. The housewife took care not to break the bannock in baking as that would bode bad luck in the New Year.

Often the bannock was decorated with candied peel and almonds. In Galloway, there was a treacle bannock which was a kind of oatmeal gingerbread. The poorer folk had barley bannocks. There are, however, bannocks made with sweetened yeast dough such as the Pitcaithly Bannock and the Selkirk Bannock. A Selkirk Bannock would be a tasty addition to a Hogmanay dinner or breakfast celebration.

See recipe below.

Selkirk Bannock

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3 cups bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 1/2 cups golden raisins
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tablespoon water

Directions

  • In a small saucepan, heat milk to simmering and remove from heat. Mix in the butter and stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm.
  • In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, yeast and salt. Stir lukewarm milk into flour mixture until a soft dough is formed. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about one hour.
  • Deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in raisins and shape into a large round loaf. Place the loaf on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover with a damp cloth and let rise until doubled in volume, about one hour.
  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, beat together egg yolk and water.
  • Brush risen loaf with egg yolk mixture. Bake in preheated oven until loaf is golden and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/20381/selkirk-bannock/

Het Pint

A traditional drink for Hogmanay, Het Pint is ale, heated, spiced, and laced with whisky. It was carried through the town in hot copper kettles and handed out by the cupful as midnight approached. It makes a hearty drink for any winter occasion.

  • 2 quarts ale
  • 1 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup Scotch whiskey

Heat ale and nutmeg in a saucepan over medium heat. DO NOT BOIL. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. In a bowl, whisk eggs until frothy. Add ¾ cup of hot ale mixture to eggs and stir to blend well. Add to hot ale, stirring continuously. Stir in whiskey. Reheat and serve at once in warmed mugs.

As with all traditional recipes, there are variations. Some recommend pouring the punch from one pan to another “until the mixture turns clear and sparkling”. Another uses wine and brandy instead of ale and whiskey. Either sounds good for a cold winter evening.