With 2022 coming to a close, everyone has their celebrations planned. You might have seen or heard the word Hogmanay around a fair bit, but what is Hogmanay and how is it celebrated?
Not to be confused with Hootenanny, Hogmanay is a different word with a different meaning. Although they both happen at the same time of year, there is something different about the latter.
What Is Hogmanay?
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for the last day of the Gregorian calendar. So, it basically translated as New Year’s Eve.
Although its origins are not known, it’s believed to have gone from Gaelic or Nordic traditions surrounding the Winter Solstice. Traditionally, Hogmanay was more widely celebrated than Christmas in Scotland, which could have been largely due to the Protestant Reformation which then regarded Christmas as too Catholic. In fact, Christmas Day was only instated as a public holiday in 1958 in Scotland after it’s celebration was discouraged for 400 years.
The term is contained to Scotland as is common in the North of England too, including Cumberland, Northumberland and Yorkshire. However, it did have slightly different names in these regions of England.
Auld Lang Syne is actually a Hogmanay custom, yet the tradition of singing the song at the stroke of midnight has spread to many countries. The song comes from the Robert Burns poem, Auld Lang Syne.
How Is It Celebrated?
Hogmanay is traditionally celebrated very similarly to how the rest of the UK celebrates New Year. There’s drinking, dancing, feasting and social gatherings. However, the celebrations last longer in Scotland, typically going well into New Year’s Day. So much so, January 2 is a Scottish bank holiday every year as well. Hogmanay and the celebrations it brings over the three days are seen as much of a celebration (if not more so) than Christmas.
There is also the national custom of first footing. This means that the first guest to cross the threshold of your home upon New Year is treated specially, sometimes through gift-giving. It is preferred that the first footer be a tall and dark-haired man as this is meant to bring the household luck for the new year.
Some other Hogmanay customers include fireball swinging in Aberdeenshire. Many people come and watch the display as the fireballs are distinguished in the Stonehaven harbour.
Sometimes first-footers carry herring across the threshold, and bakers would bake special cakes in St Andrews to distribute to the local children.
This year will see the return of many Hogmanay festivals and celebrations across Scotland. For the years 2020-21 and 2021-22, many celebrations were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected that most of the festivals will be back for 2022-23 and hopefully bigger than ever.