What is Hogmanay?
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last
day of the year and synonymous with the celebration of the New Year, in the
Scottish manner It is normally followed by further celebration on the morning
of New Year’s Day, and in some cases right through to the 2nd
January – Scottish Bank Holiday.
The accurate origins of Hogmanay are unclear, but it may be
derived from Norse and Gaelic observances. Customs vary throughout
Scotland, and usually include gift-giving and visiting the homes of friends and
neighbours, with special attention given to the first-foot - the first guest of
the new year. This custom starts immediately after midnight, and involves being
the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbour and often
involves the giving of a symbolic gift, and is intended to bring all kinds of
luck to the household. Food and drink are then given to the guests and celebrations
may goon throughout the early hours of the morning or well into the next day. However,
modern days see people visiting their friends and neighbours well into the middle
of January.
The Hogmanay custom of singing “Auld Lang Syne” has become common in many countries now as well. “Auld Land Syne” is a Scots poem by Robert Burns. It is now common to sing this in a circle of linked arms that are crossed over on another as the clock strikes midnight – marking the New Year.
If you are fortunate to be celebrating Hogmanay in Scotland – as some of our customers are, here are celebrations worth attending. For the rest of us celebrating in Australia, Happy New Year, celebrate safely, and don’t forget to book your kilt for your celebration.
TORCHLIGHT PROCESSION - Join the revellers
and get the party started! In Scotland, New Year's carousing gets underway when
thousands of torch-bearers join Up Helly Aa's Vikings, pipes and drums.
Together, they march through the heart of Edinburgh with flaming torches,
creating a river of fire down the historic Royal Mile to Holyrood Park for the
finale and closing celebrations.
HOGMANAY STREET PARTY - Princes Street
welcomes the merrymakers to one of the greatest events on the planet (and we
mean it!). Set beneath the spectacular backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, dance the
night away at the Concert in the Gardens featuring incredible live music,
entertainment, DJs, giant screens, and outdoor bars.
As the
bells strike midnight, admire the world-famous Edinburgh Hogmanay Midnight
Fireworks on the castle ramparts. And make sure you don't leave before Auld
Lang Syne - a national sing-along where you join hands with friends you just
met from across the globe in its biggest rendition in the world.
THE LOONY DOOK - And if you need
something to clear your head the morning after, why not take part in the
(literally) breathtaking Loony Dook, the annual splash in the River Forth at
South Queensferry? Take part in the Dookers Parade through the High Street
before taking the plunge in the freezing Forth with the iconic Forth Bridges as
a backdrop. And don't forget your fancy dress! Or you could just sleep in.
OTHER HOGMANAY HIGHLIGHTS
It's
not just Scotland's capital that knows how to throw a New Year celebration!
Here are some fantastic and unique ways to 'bring in the bells' in other parts
of Scotland.
INVERNESS'S RED HOT HIGHLAND FLING - Scotland's biggest
free Hogmanay celebration can be found in the capital of the Highlands,
Inverness. This family-friendly event will be celebrating this year
on the banks of the River Ness in Northern Meeting Park, with music and
fireworks more than entertaining the crowds. The top billing is always on stage
before 10pm so that families can get home to see in the bells. This year the
show will be feature The Trad Project, Blazin' Fiddles, and Tidelines, compered
by Scottish comedian Craig Hill.
STONEHAVEN FIREBALLS – In Stonehaven they really turn up the heat at New Year! One of many winter fire festivals unique to Scotland, this fireballs in Aberdeenshire is a powerful spectacle to behold. It's a free Hogmanay event which has been celebrated for over 100 years and it always attracts a large crowd. Traditionally, it was a cleansing ritual to burn off any bad spirits left from the old year so that the New Year can begin clean and purified. Watch in awe as the piper leads the procession marching down the street just before midnight as they swing balls of fire above their head in the ultimate test of bravery.
THE BIGGAR BONFIRE - An enormous pile of wood gradually starts to stack up in Biggar town centre in the final weeks of the year in preparation for the South Lanarkshire town's own New Year celebration. Lit at 9.30pm on New Year's Eve, Biggar Bonfire sees the welcoming of a New Year by the townsfolk in a warm, fiery glow.
DRAMS IN DUFFTOWN - Dufftown
in Speyside is known as the 'malt whisky capital of the world'. While most of its
New Year celebrations are much the same as you would find in small towns
and villages up and down the country, it has its own special twist. After the
annual Hogmanay ceilidh at a local hotel, the community gathers in The Square
where drams of whisky and pieces of shortbread are shared out to see in the
bells, courtesy of the local Glenfiddich distillery and Walkers biscuit
factory. Slainte!
