Hogmanay

In the lesson today you’ll get to know a lot of information about this exciting event!

Listen to the music and look at the pictures.

What event do you think the people are celebrating?

The Queen’s birthday?

Scottish New Year?

A wedding?

Hogmanay is the Scottish celebration of New Year’s Eve and can last for days.

The Scots inherited the celebration of Hogmanay from the Vikings and their celebration of the shortest day.

As Christmas was banned and not celebrated in Scotland from the end of the 17th century until the 1950’s, New Year’s Eve was a good excuse to drink whisky and eat good food.

Its official date is the 31st of December.

However, this is normally only the start of a celebration which lasts through the night until the morning of the 1st or, in many cases, the 2nd of January.

Preparations for the celebrations start with cleaning the houses and throwing out old unwanted things. People also bake special Shortbread biscuits and a Black bun, to share with family and friends on the big day.

In the evening people usually have a big party.

At midnight they have a tradition of singing an Auld Lang Syne – an old Scottish song by Robert Burns.

It’s a song about old and new friends.

People from around the world sing this, although they often only know the chorus:

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?

Should auld acquaintance be forgot and auld lang syne,

For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,

We'll take a cup o’kindness yet, for auld lang syne."

First-Footing is the visiting of friends and family immediately after midnight to welcome in the New Year.

In order to ensure good luck for the house, the ‘first foot’ over the door should be male, dark; and of course everyone ‘first footing’ should take symbolic gifts such as coal, shortbread, salt, black bun and whisky. These gifts meant the household would be safe and warm and have enough food for the year.

Blonds and redheads, and especially females with this hair colouring first-footers were considered ‘bad luck’.

This tradition goes back when a red- or blonde-haired stranger was probably an invading Norseman.

On the night of Hogmanay there are live concerts and fabulous carnivals in the streets of all Scottish towns.

Edinburgh's Hogmanay is a three-day winter festival that takes place at the end of each year. The festival takes place at the end of each year.

LOONY DOOK

And if Scots need something to clear their head the morning after, they take part in the breathtaking Loony Dook.

The Loony Dook takes place on the first day of each New Year.

Up to a thousand brave people dress up in fancy dress and throw themselves into the freezing cold water of the Firth of Forth at South Queensferry, just a few miles out of the Scottish capital.

STONEHEAVEN FIREBALLS

As the midnight chimes ring out on December 31st, ~40 men and women parade up and down the High Street swinging fiercely flaming balls around their heads.

Local people make up balls of chicken wire, tar, paper and other flammable material to a

diameter of about a metre.

Each ball has 2 metres of wire, chain or non-flammable rope attached. Many people enjoy this display which is more impressive in the dark than it would be during the day.

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 9.30 pm on New Year's Eve, Biggar Bonfire sees the welcoming of a New Year by the townsfolk in a warm, fiery glow.

BURGHEAD

The residents of Burghead in Moray don't celebrate their New Year on 31 December.

Instead, they ignore the Gregorian calendar (1750s) and continue to celebrate 'old Hogmanay' on 11 January instead.

They parade the clavie – a wooden barrel filled with wooden staves – through the town before setting it alight on a nearby hill.

SCOTTISH FOOD

But like any celebrations anywhere in the world one of the main features of Hogmanay is the famous traditional Scottish food.

Hogmanay food includes all the traditional food of Scotland: Haggis, Cock-a-Leekie Soup, Venison Pie, Tatties, Neeps.

Hogmanay is certainly a great celebration.

People feel happy to be with friends and family and look forward to a good year full of success!