Hogmanay in Scotland

Hogmanay is New Year's Day in Scotland This ancient pagan holiday, according to scientists, appeared during the time of the Gaels The tradition of celebrating Hogmanay has remained since those distant times when people worshiped fire Hogmanay is similar in date and content to our New Year It also starts after midnight and ends late at night or in the morning The main symbol of Hagmanay is fire, so this is the time for lighting fires and dancing in the street It should be noted that New Year in Scotland is more significant than Christmas and it is celebrated so magnificently that many thousands of tourists, like lemmings, flock to the country on the eve of this holiday The holiday is so popular that the farewell to the old year begins on December 29, and the entire celebration lasts 4 days Everyone who was involved in the history of Scotland at different periods of time will appear before you these days Carnival processions will march through the streets of Edinburgh with burning torches: Roman legionnaires, Celtic Fenians, Vikings with Valkyries, accompanying a life-size longship blazing with multi-colored lights Any spectator can join this procession by purchasing a torch This is a real festival of fire, because only fire can disperse the dark winter night, drive out evil spirits and warm chilled souls On the eve of the coming year, the processions will reach the central square, where an auto-da-fé of a huge straw bull will be held By the direction of the smoke they will guess whether a good or bad year is coming If the smoke stretches from east to west, then the coming year will be successful At this time, popular musical performers give concerts on the square, and at exactly twelve o'clock a magnificent festive fireworks display begins, which is broadcast throughout the country Each region and city has its own customs For example, in Lerwick a Viking longship is burned at sea, and in Stonehaven a procession of young boys spins fireballs The most famous Scottish dance is the Kelly The dance is simple and very exciting The dancers gather around the fire, put their hands on each other’s shoulders and dance around the fire Then the round dance breaks up into separate circling couples An old Scottish drinking song is always sung in all families and squares We know it from S Marshak’s translation of Robert Burns’ poems In fact, as literary scholars have established, Burns simply wrote down an old ballad, adding a couple of verses to it To be fair, he never hid it There is another arrangement of this old ballad by Watson But, perhaps due to the melodiousness of the translation, Burns is dearer and more familiar to us Custom dictates that two visits be made on Hogmanay: one before the New Year and one after The first time guests come and present the host with a barley drink - whiskey, and the second time they bring with them a gold coin (for prosperity), a piece of bread (for abundance on the table) and a coal, symbolizing warmth, which is carefully kept in the family until the next New Year In exchange for coal, coins and bread, the guest is given shortbread cookies Tradition is silent whether the host and guests taste the whiskey they bring, but we think that in cold weather it would be appropriate After the start of the New Year and the festive fireworks, you need to wait for guests or pay visits yourself It is considered a good omen if a black-haired man steps on the threshold first It's much worse if it's blond This may have something to do with the hair color of the Anglo-Saxon invaders And it’s really bad when the first guest is a woman The year will be extremely unsuccessful Another ancient sign is associated with the footprint - fortune telling on ashes Before the onset of Hogmanay, it was imperative to cleanse the house To do this, they burned caustic juniper branches and raked out the ashes from the fireplace They used it to guess If a coal from the ash rolls out to the threshold, then in the coming year one should expect loss and misfortune The footprint directed towards the threshold, seen by the fortuneteller in a pile of ashes, had the same meaning But a trace aimed at the fireplace promised all sorts of prosperity and profit It could be an addition to the family, a daughter’s wedding, or other pleasant events Hogmanay is usually celebrated outside, although in December in Scotland it is quite windy and cold However, those who celebrate Hogmanay at home by candlelight open the back door at the start of the clock strike to let out the old year, and after the twelfth strike they open the front door to let in the new one This custom has the simple name “New Year's Entrance” The owner does all this in silence In ancient times, after this, the owner took a large cup called El and made a toast After that, he drank from the cup and passed the cup on so that every family member could try this wonderful drink Now this custom has sunk into oblivion This is how the Scots celebrate the New Year in a fun and unusual way