1. A SCOTTISH CHRISTMAS
Christmas itself was until recent times a purely Religious festival and New Year was and still
is the main holiday for Scots. Christmas was not traditionally celebrated in Scotland because
it was banned for nearly 400 years until the 1950's. Hogmanay was the real traditional
celebration. The reason Christmas was not celebrated until recently goes back to the time of
John Knox in the 1580's as it was seen to be papist in origin - the ban was strictly enforced in
law.
Until recently, Christmas was fairly low key. It wasn't even a public holiday until 1958. Up
till then, people worked normally on Christmas day, although the children did get presents.
Therefore the Christmas 'traditions' in Scotland are pretty much the same modern US version.
If you wanted to have a real traditional Scottish Christmas, you should go into work on
Christmas day! In 1997/98 and 2001/2002 there were strikes at Scottish banks because the
bank staff were getting English holidays rather than the Scottish ones which have more time
off at New Year. As a result, most if not all Christmas celebrations nowadays have been
brought in from other cultures (notable England and the US).
YULETIDE CUSTOMS OF OLD SCOTLAND
Christmas & New Year were equally welcomed by Scots before the Reformation of the 16th-
17th centuries. All the customs of both festivals stem from that time. The name comes from
the Scandinavians, for whom 'Yuletide' was the festival celebrated at the twelfth month, being
the twelfth name of Odin, who was supposed to come to earth in December, disguised in a
hooded cloak. He would sit awhile at the firesides listening to the people, and he left a gift of
bread or coins. (Strains of Father Christmas here!)
Christmas was often known as Nollaig Beag , Little Christmas. The custom was to celebrate
the Birth of Christ with all solemnity, the festivities began a few days later, and spilled into
New Year and Twelfth Night, which was known as 'Little Christmas'. However, the French
often called Christmas colloquially, 'Homme est né' (Man is Born) which is thought by some
scholars to be the origin of the word, 'Hogmanay', steaming from the time of the 'Auld
Alliance'.
The Reformation hit Scotland as hard as everywhere else. By 1583, bakers who made the
Yulebreads were fined, their punishment could be lessened if they gave the names of their
customers! In 1638 the General Assembly in Edinburgh tried to abolish Yuletide. While the
same things were going on south of the border, with the Restoration of the Monarchy came
the restoration of Christmas. In Scotland, the rigid laws of the new Kirk still frowned upon
Christmas celebration, so it stayed underground. Only the High church and the Catholics kept
the old traditions going. In England many of the symbolisms and earlier religious elements
were lost, and it took the intrepid Victorian historians to gather together the remnants and re-
establish Christmas, an effort which was helped by the strongly Christmas orientated Royal
family with its German Prince Consort. The Reformation in Germany had hardly touched
Christmas at all, and Prince Albert brought it all to the public eye.
English customs were not particularly accepted by Scotland. The inherent need to celebrate
came out in Scotland as a great revival of the New Year celebrations. In fact, hardly changed
at all because Old Christmas comprised three days of solemn tribune, church services, fasting
and hard work as well as church on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Followed by a day of
Charity on the Feast of Stephen and which we now call Boxing Day. Noone would have
thought much about parties and frolics until after these days were over. Then the solemnity

2. gave way to joyous and often rowdy celebration and holiday under the name of 'Homme est
né' or Hogmanay.
Being intended by the reformed church, as a day of prayer, the puritanical elements gradually
closed in on all those who defied the new laws and continued their festivities. In England
soldiers were chosen especially for their noses - a long nose was thought to be able to sniff
out the spices in the Christmas baking better! In Scotland the bakers were encouraged to bake
and inform on their customers. In their attempts to stamp out frivolity, they prescribed that
Christmas would be a working day. So it became the custom to work over Christmas.
This prevailed throughout the whole of Britain, especially in the working classes. Until 40
years ago postmen, bakers, transport workers, and medical staff were commonly expected to
work, but because of the Victorian revival of Christmas in England, many other
establishments closed, while in Scotland shops and many offices stayed open.
However, this did not mean that people did not celebrate Christmas. Often they would go to
church before work, or at lunchtime, or in the evening. They would have a Christmas tree and
a Christmas Dinner and children went to bed expecting that kindly old gentleman to call with
a gift or two.
CUSTOMS & BELIEFS ASSOCIATED WITH SCOTTISH CHRISTMAS
Black Bun (Originally Twelfth Night Cake)
It is a very rich fruit cake, almost solid with fruit, almonds, spices and the ingredients are
bound together with plenty of whisky. The stiff mixture is put into a cake tin lined with a rich
short pastry and baked.
This takes the place of the even more ancient Sun Cakes. A legacy from Scotland's close
associations with Scandinavia. Sun cakes were baked with a hole in the centre and
symmetrical lines around, representing the rays of the Sun. This pattern is now found on the
modern Scottish shortbread, and has been misidentified as convenient slices marked onto
the shortbread!
Candlelight
All of the Celtic countries have a similar custom of lighting a candle at Christmas time to
light the way of a stranger.
In Scotland it was the Oidche Choinnle, or Night of Candles. Candles were placed in every
window to light the way for the Holy Family on Christmas Eve and First Footers on New
Years Eve. Shopkeepers gave their customers Yule Candles as a symbol of goodwill wishing
them a 'Fire to warm you by, and a light to guide you'.
BLOWING OUT THE CHRISTMAS CANDLE
A lit candle is placed upon a table or chair and each player is, in turn, blindfolded and stood
with his back to the candle, about two feet away. He is then told to take three steps forward,
turn round three times, take four steps towards the candle and then blow it out.
In the majority of cases, the blindfolded player will lose all idea of distance and position, and
when he blows, it will be in quite another part of the room from that in which the candle
stands. Of course, it is wise to have a player or two standing by the side of the candle to
prevent any blindfolded person from getting too near.
Dr. Daniela Martinek

3. The Origins of Hogmanay
While New Year's Eve is celebrated around the world, the Scots have a long rich
heritage associated with this event - and have their own name for it, Hogmanay.
Hogmanay Traditional Celebrations
Historians believe that the Scottish inherited the celebration from the Vikings
who, coming from even further north than the Scots, paid even more attention
to the passing of the shortest day. In Shetland, where the Viking influence was
strongest, New Year is called Yules, from the Scandinavian word.
There are traditions before midnight such as cleaning the house on 31st December
(including taking out the ashes from the fire in the days when coal fires were
common). There is also the superstition to clear all your debts before "the bells" at
midnight.
Immediately after midnight it is traditional to sing Robert Burns' "For Auld Lang
Syne". Burns claimed it was based on an earlier fragment and certainly the tune was in
print over 80 years before he published his version in 1788.
"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."
An integral part of the Hogmanay partying, which continues very much today, is to
welcome friends and strangers, with warm hospitality and of course a kiss to wish
everyone a Happy New Year. The underlying belief is to clear out the vestiges of the
old year, have a clean break and welcome in a young, New Year on a happy note.
"First footing" (that is, the "first foot" in the house after midnight) is still common in
Scotland. To ensure good luck for the house, the first foot should be male, dark
(believed to be a throwback to the Viking days when blond strangers arriving on your
doorstep meant trouble) and should bring symbolic coal, shortbread, salt, black bun
and whisky.
Torch and Bonfire Ceremonies
The magical firework display and torchlight procession in Edinburgh - and throughout
many cities in Scotland - are reminiscent of the ancient custom at Scottish Hogmanay
pagan parties hundreds of years ago.
The traditional New Year ceremony of yesteryear would involve people dressing up in
the hides of cattle and running around the village being hit by sticks. The festivities
would also include the lighting of bonfires, rolling blazing tar barrels down the hill
and tossing torches. Animal hide was also wrapped around sticks and ignited which
produced a smoke that was believed to be very effective to ward off evil spirits. The
smoking stick was also known as a Hogmanay.
Some of these customs do continue, especially in the small, older communities in the
Highlands and Islands of Scotland where tradition, along with language and dialect are
kept alive and well. On the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, the young boys form
Dr. Daniela Martinek

4. themselves into opposing bands, the leader of each wears a sheep skin, while a
member carries a sack. The bands move through the village from house to house
reciting a Gaelic rhyme. On being invited inside, the leader walks clockwise around
the fire, while everyone hits the skin with sticks. The boys would be given some
bannocks - fruit buns - for their sack before moving on to the next house.
One of the most spectacular fire ceremonies takes place in Stonehaven, just south of
Aberdeen on the North East coast. Giant fireballs, weighing up to 20 pounds are lit
and swung around on five feet long metal poles, requiring 60 men to carry them as
they march up and down the high street. The origin of the pre-Christian custom is
believed to be linked to the Winter Solstice of late December with the fireballs
signifying the power of the sun, to purify the world by consuming evil spirits.
And it is worth remembering that January 2nd is a holiday in Scotland as well as the
first day of the year - to give us all time to recover from a week of merry-making and
celebration, all part of Scotland's fascinating cultural legacy of ancient customs and
traditions surrounding the pagan festival of Hogmanay.
• http://www.siliconglen.com/scotfaq/12_15.html
• http://www.christmasarchives.com/scotland.html
• http://www.rampantscotland.com/know/blknow12.htm
Dr. Daniela Martinek