Dr James R. Gaines Family History of Gaines of Elbert and Hart County, Georgia
Merely one nation in the earth can celebrate the New year or Hogmanay with such revelry and passion – the Scots! But what are the actual origins of Hogmanay, and why should a tall night-haired stranger be a welcome company after midnight?
It is believed that many of the traditional Hogmanay celebrations were originally brought to Scotland past the invading Vikings in the early eighth and 9th centuries. These Norsemen, or men from an even more northerly latitude than Scotland, paid particular attention to the arrival of the Winter Solstice or the shortest day, and fully intended to celebrate its passing with some serious partying.
In Shetland, where the Viking influence remains strongest, New year is still chosen Yules, deriving from the Scandinavian give-and-take for the midwinter festival of Yule.
Information technology may surprise many people to notation that Christmas was not historic equally a festival and virtually banned in Scotland for around 400 years, from the end of the 17th century to the 1950s. The reason for this dates back to the years of Protestant Reformation, when the directly-laced Kirk proclaimed Christmas as a Popish or Catholic feast, and as such needed banning.
And then it was, right up until the 1950s that many Scots worked over Christmas and historic their winter solstice vacation at New Yr when family and friends would gather for a party and to commutation presents which came to exist known equally hogmanays.
There are several traditions and superstitions that should be taken care of before midnight on the 31st December: these include cleaning the house and taking out the ashes from the fire, in that location is also the requirement to clear all your debts before "the bells" sound midnight, the underlying bulletin being to clear out the remains of the former year, have a clean break and welcome in a young, New year's day on a happy note.
Immediately after midnight it is traditional to sing Robert Burns' "Auld Lang Syne". Burns published his version of this pop fiddling ditty in 1788, although the tune was in impress over lxxx years before this.
"Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my beloved, for auld lang syne,
We'll have a loving cup o kindness yet, for auld lang syne."
An integral role of the Hogmanay party, which is continued with equal enthusiasm today, is to welcome friends and strangers with warm hospitality and of class lots of enforced kissing for all.
"Showtime footing" (or the "first foot" in the house subsequently midnight) is nevertheless common across Scotland. To ensure good luck for the house the first foot should be a dark-haired male, and he should bring with him symbolic pieces of coal, shortbread, salt, blackness bun and a wee dram of whisky. The nighttime-haired male bit is believed to be a throwback to the Viking days, when a large blonde stranger arriving on your door step with a big axe meant big trouble, and probably non a very happy New year!
The firework displays and torchlight processions at present enjoyed throughout many cities in Scotland are reminders of the ancient pagan parties from those Viking days of long ago.
The traditional New Year ceremony would involve people dressing up in the hides of cattle and running around the hamlet whilst existence hit by sticks. The festivities would also include the lighting of bonfires and tossing torches. Animal hide wrapped around sticks and ignited produced a smoke that was believed to be very effective in warding off evil spirits: this smoking stick was also known equally a Hogmanay.
Many of these community continue today, particularly in the older communities of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. On the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, the immature men and boys form themselves into opposing bands; the leader of each wears a sheep skin, while another member carries a sack. The bands motility through the hamlet from firm to business firm reciting a Gaelic rhyme. The boys are given bannocks (fruit buns) for their sack before moving on to the next business firm.
1 of the near spectacular fire ceremonies takes place in Stonehaven, south of Aberdeen on the north e declension. Behemothic fireballs are swung around on long metal poles each requiring many men to bear them as they are paraded upwards and down the Loftier Street. Over again the origin is believed to be linked to the Winter Solstice with the swinging fireballs signifying the ability of the sun, purifying the world by consuming evil spirits.
For visitors to Scotland it is worth remembering that January 2nd is too a national holiday in Scotland, this extra solar day being barely plenty fourth dimension to recover from a week of intense revelry and merry-making. All of which helps to form part of Scotland'due south cultural legacy of ancient customs and traditions that surround the pagan festival of Hogmanay.
Source: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/The-History-of-Hogmanay/
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