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Queen of the Bees

@captainbee89 / captainbee89.tumblr.com

Scottish. LotR. Studio Ghibli. Video Games. Cats. Jonsa. Clerith. Mondler
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Hogmanay > Christmas

Due to the Protestant Reformation in Scotland, Christmas began to fall out of favor in the 1580s and in 1640 an act of the Scottish Parliament abolished it completely. It would be around 400 years before Christmas was once again recognized as a national holiday in Scotland. Because of this, New Year’s Eve and Day became the prominent winter holidays. In Scotland, however, they were called Hogmanay.

There are many different theories as to how this name originated. Two of the most prominent explanations deal with the corruption of French words and phrases. One is “Homme est ne’” (Man is born). Another is “Hogninane” which refers to a new year’s gift. Indeed, a decades old Scottish tradition involved children going from house to house on New Year’s Day asking for and receiving treats, like fruits and candy.

The Scots gave us one of the earliest traditions for what would become our modern neighborhood holiday caroling. Ancient Scots would parade through their communities shouting and beating on the hides of large animals in the belief that all this noise would chase off bad luck and evil spirits. This tradition is also echoed in our modern New Year’s Eve noisemakers. A great many of the Hogmanay traditions involve getting the rid of the old year’s bad luck and spirits and bringing good luck and prosperity into the new year. An ancient Scots Highland tradition still carried on in some areas is “Saining” (Scots Gaelic for “blessing” or “protecting”)

Saining involves rising early on New Year’s Eve and/or Day and cleaning the house from top to bottom. Special water from a “Dead and Living” ford (a ford over which both the dead and living have frequently traveled) is drunk by the family and sprinkled throughout the house. The house is then “smudged” by burning branches from juniper and/or rowan trees, both considered sacred trees by the Celts (rowan is better known in North America as “Mountain Ash”). If the Saining is done on New Year’s Day, the house is first sealed up tight before the smudging and then all the windows and doors are flung open to let in the fresh air of the new year.

Another important Hogmanay tradition is “First Footing,” which begins at midnight on New Year’s Day and continues into the first few days of the new year. The first person/people through the door of someone’s house are expected to bring gifts of food, drink, or various symbols of prosperity, like salt or silver. The more ancient basis for this tradition states that the first person through the door should also be a dark-haired man because a fair-haired man would most likely be a Viking raider coming to pillage and plunder.

Even though Scotland has long since returned to celebrating Christmas, Hogmanay is still a very prominent and important part of the Scots’ winter holiday celebrations.

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