New Year's Eve & New Year's Day

Hogmanay:

(Pronounced [ˌhɔɡməˈneː]) is the Scottish word for the last day of the year (New Year’s Eve). Hogmanay goes hand in hand with the celebrations of the New Year celebrated by the Scots. Normally this is just the beginning of the New Year’s celebrations which lasts throughout the night until the morning of New Year's Day on the 1^st January and in some cases the 2^nd January which fortunately happens to be a Bank Holiday in Scotland.

Origins:

The roots of Hogmanay appear to be a mixture of differing cultures which include: Norse / Gaelic and Viking. Starting with the celebration of the Winter Solstice among the Norse and incorporating customs from the Gaelic celebration of Samhain (Samhain meaning Summer’s End is a Gaelic harvest festival). The Vikings celebrated Yule which went on to contribute later to the Twelve Days of Christmas or as they were sometimes called in Scotland: the "Daft Days".

With the Protestant Reformation of the 16^th Century - the winter festival went underground only to re-emerge again towards the end of the 17^th Century.

Customs:

Nationally / locally and even further afield there are many customs associated with Hogmanay. The most recognised custom is the custom known as: “first footing” which commences immediately after the clock strikes 12. “First footing” involves being the first person to cross the threshold of the home of a friend or neighbour and the first person to cross the threshold usually gives a symbolic gift such as salt (this is less common today) / coal / shortbread / whisky and black bun (a rich fruit cake) which is intended to bring different kinds of luck to the householder. Food and drink are then given to the guests - this may go on throughout the early hours of the morning and well into the next day (however nowadays people visit houses well into the middle of January). The “first-foot” is supposed to set the luck for the rest of the year and traditionally tall dark men are preferred as the “first-foot” J

In Italy the “first foot” traditionally gives the householder the gift of grapes however there should always be an odd number of grapes NOT an even number (not sure why) and again tall dark men are preferred as the “first foot”.

"Auld Lang Syne":

“Auld Lang Syne” is a traditional Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and was later set to music. The Hogmanay custom of singing "Auld Lang Syne" has become common in many countries including non-English speaking countries.

We link arms (that are crossed over one another) as the clock strikes midnight for New Year’s Day and all sing “Auld Lang Syne” and usually we are standing in a circle.

According to tradition it is only intended that participants link arms at the beginning of the final verse co-ordinating with the lines of the song which contain the lyrics to do so and typically it is only in Scotland this practice is carried out correctly.

Ne’erday (New Year’s Day):

A Viking longship is burnt during Edinburgh's annual Hogmanay celebrations (which nowadays lasts for four days) - Edinburgh has no known historical connection with the Norse invaders.

When Ne'erday falls on a Sunday the 3^rd January becomes an additional Bank Holiday in Scotland / when Ne'erday falls on a Saturday both the 3^rd and 4^th January become Bank Holidays in Scotland and when Ne'erday falls on a Friday the 4^th January becomes an additional Bank Holiday in Scotland (and only in Scotland).

As in most of the world, the largest Scottish cities, Glasgow / Edinburgh and Aberdeen hold all-night celebrations. However, the Edinburgh Hogmanay celebrations are among the largest in the world although in 2003-2004 most of the organised events had to be cancelled at short notice due to very high winds. Similarly the 2006-2007 celebrations in Edinburgh / Glasgow and Stirling were all cancelled on the day again due to high winds and heavy rain. The Hogmanay celebrations in Aberdeen, however, went ahead as planned and was opened by the 1980’s pop music group Wet Wet Wet.

Handsel Day:

Handsel Day is known as Handsel Monday and is the first Monday of the New Year. The “handsel” is a reference to the small tips and gifts of money it was customary to give at the beginning of the first working week of the New Year. Handsel was a word for gift box and in this respect Handsel Day is very similar to Boxing Day as historically gifts and presents were given often by the employer giving his staff presents and parents giving children presents. Handsel Day is also marked by teachers giving gifts to their students and a roast dinner would be eaten to celebrate the festival.

In modern Scotland this practice has now died out.

Written by: Andria Owen