Hogmanay

[DavidWW]

Oidhche Challuinn, Hogmanay, New Year's Eve

The Gaelic name for New Year's day is Calluinn, with lads who go out on Hogmanay being called "Gillean Calluinne". The name Calluinn is derived from the Latin "Calendae" (the first day of the month; the day announcements were called and is related to the word "call"). Thus there is a link between the Gaelic word "Calluinn" and the English word "Calendar".


The eve of New year's Day was on of supreme importance in the Highlands and Islands of the West and took precedence even over Christmas. It was a time of much ceremony and gaiety, but underneath the levity lies a sinister hint of the old ritual and sacrificial nature of the festival. The Eve of New Year was known as Oidhche Challuinn, and New Year's Day as La Challuinn. First Footing is still carried out, as in other parts of the Highlands, although, as elsewhere, it is a dying custom. Up to the beginning of the century at least, the festivities of New Year's Eve were fully in operation and people went round the houses in every town shop carrying dried cow-hides and chanting special rhymes continuously. They beat the skins with sticks and struck the walls of the houses with clubs; this ritual was believed to have an apotropaic effect and to keep at bay the fairies and evil spirits and hostile forces of every kind. The part of the hide used was the loose flap of the beasts neck; this was called in Gaelic caisean-uchd. This they used to singe in the fire and present it to the members of the family, each in turn; every member of the household was required to smell it as a charm against all things evil and harmful. One example of the type of rhyme chanted is as follows:


Great good luck to the house,
Good luck to the family,
Good luck to every rafter in it,
And to every worldly thing in it.


Good luck to horses and cattle,
Good luck to the sheep,
Good luck to everything,
And good luck to all your means.


Luck to the good-wife,
Good luck to the children,
Good luck to every friend,
Great fortune and health to all.


Carmichael gives the following example of a Hogmanay rhyme:


Tonight is the hard night of Hogmanay,
I have come with a lamb to sell -
The old fellow yonder sternly said
He would strike my ear against a rock.


The woman, better of speech, said
That I should be let in;
For my food and my drink,
A morsel due and something with it.


Apparently lads with no better rhyme used to chant the following:

I have no dislike of cheese,
I have no dislike of butter,
But a little sip of barley bree
I am right willing to put down!


The young people used to travel in groups round their own townships. In different areas, different rites would be performed at each house, but some form of Duan Challuinn, 'Hogmanay Poem', would always be chanted. There were two types of visitation; in one instance the duan was recited outside the house and the cant described the ritual of approaching and entering the house. Another duan was sung after the house had been entered, the caisean Calluig, 'Hogmanay Hide', was beaten. This is also called the Caisean a' Bhuilg, 'Hide of the Bag'. The basic form of the ritual was universal in spite of regional variants in ritual and terminology. These old practices have virtually died out, but the ancient and pagan ritual discernible in them requires no comment. The boys who took part in these rites were known as gillean Callaig. 'Hogmanay Lads', and the ceremony was performed at night. One of the boys was covered with the hide of a bull to which the horns and hooves were still attached. When they came to a house in some areas they climbed to the flat edge of the thatched roof and ran round it in a sunwise direction, the boy, or man, wearing the hide would shake the horns and hooves, and the others would strike at he bull-man with sticks. He was meant to be a frightening figure, and apparently the noise of the ritual beating and shaking of the hide was terrific. After this part of the ceremony was performed, the boys came down from the roof and recited their blatantly pagan chants; afterwards they were given hospitality of the house. The rhyme when the hide was in the process of being struck was as follows:


Hogmanay of the sack,
Hogmanay of the sack,
Strike of the hide,
Strike of the hide,
Hogmanay of the sack,
Hogmanay of the sack,
Beat the skin,
Beat the skin,
Hogmanay of the sack,
Hogmanay of the sack,
Down with it, Up with it;
Strike the hide.
Hogmanay of the sack,
Hogmanay of the sack,
Down with it, Up with it;
Strike the hide.
Hogmanay of the sack,
Hogmanay of the sack,


The ritual rhyme was of course, chanted in Gaelic. Its very monotony imparted a certain eerie relentlessness to the ceremony.. When it was finished, another carol or chant would be sung at the door of the house; this would praise - in anticipation - the generosity of the occupiers and would request entry and reward. In some areas the skin was singed by the man of the house, and the fumes it gave off were believed to have powers of purification, imparting health to all the family for the next twelve months. A New Year's blessing, widely used and having a number of variants, could also be heard in both the island, and the Gaelic mainland. Pennant records, for the Dingwall region of Easter Ross, that he was told in the locality that on New Year's Day the people burned juniper before their cattle to protect them - another custom going back to Druidic times. He also learnt that on the first Monday of every quarter, the beasts were sprinkled with urine - a potent evil-averting substance. Campbell, in his Witchcraft, gives other details of the Hogmanay ceremony. He says the hide of a cow was wrapped round the head of one of the men and he went off, followed by the rest of the party who struck the hide with switches so that it made a booming sound, similar to the noise of a drum. Again, the procession went three times deiseal, or sunwise, round every house in each township, beating on the walls of the house and chanting their rhymes at the door. The amount of drink taken must have been very considerable and as the evening wore on, the noise and rowdiness must have been quite alarming. On entering each house each member of the party was offered refreshments of the traditional kind - oatmeal, bread and cheese, and meat, followed by a dram of whisky. The man of the house was then given the caisean-uchd, which Campbell described as the breast-skin of a sheep which was wrapped round the point of a shinty stick; this was, as in other instances, singed in the fire, and carried three times sunwise round the family, grasped in the right hand, and held to the nose of each person. This was the focal point of the ritual. Campbell also records that as many people who wished to do so could carry a caisean, and that it could be made of goat or deer skin as well as from the breast-skin of a sheep. The houses were decorated with holly on order to keep out the fairies always a troublesome race; it was believed that if a boy were whipped with the branch of this plant it was an assurance that he would live for as many years as the drops of blood drawn by the sharp holly - a painful way of ensuring longevity! Cheese, which as we have seen, was believed to have magical properties was an important item of the festive fare and the cheese eaten on this occasion was referred to as the caise Calluinn, the Christmas Cheese. A slice of it was preserved, and if this happened to have a hole through it, it was believed to have special virtues. This sacred slice was known as the Laomacha, and a person who had lost his way at any time during the ensuing twelve months had only to look through the hole in the slice and he would know where he was - this was especially valuable to one lost on the hill in the mist. It was regarded as a very magical festival in every respect, and games of all kinds were played.


Some of those concerned with the endlessly-fascinating desire to find out who one's future husband or wife was destined to be. Sometimes the boys in the a Hogmanay procession were preceded by a piper. No matter how long or short the chant was, some words at least must be recited. It was the tradition to keep the fire, which was usually 'smoored' or extinguished at night, alive all through New Year's night. Only a friend might approach the sacred blaze, and the candles were likewise kept burning in the house. This custom gave rise to another name for the festival, Oidhche Choinnle, 'Candlemass'. These various rites were performed in the belief that, by observing them, evil would be kept from the dwelling for the ensuing year. When the fire was being fuelled on this night, a special incantation was recited, but Campbell was unable to obtain an example of this. If the fire went out that night, it boded ill for the coming year, and no neighbour would provide kindling to light it on the following day. Ritual even accompanied the extinguishing or 'smooring' of the fires; the putting out of flames was called in Gaelic 'smaladh an teine'. The main fuel used in the Highlands and Islands was, of course peat; wood was scarce, and although much more coal is used today, peat is still burnt. The fire was not entirely extinguished but kept barely smouldering during the night. Until very recently the fire was in the centre of the floor of the so-called black houses, and the embers were smoothed out evenly on the hearth; these were then covered over with large peats and ashes to prevent the fire from blazing up in the night, but ensure easy kindling in the morning. The whole process was regarded with superstition, and was accompanied by many incantations. One incantation taken down by Carmichael invokes;

The Sacred Three
To save,
To shield,
To surround
The Hearth,
The House,
The Household,
This eve,
This night,
Oh! this eve,
This night,
And every night,
Each single night.


There are many variants of invocations for this important function of smooring the fire, all of a sacred nature, and going right back to the ancient pagan belief in the miraculous power of fire. The kindling in the morning, on which all domestic comfort depended, had it's own repertoire of charms and incantations for blessing:


I will raise the hearth-fire
As Mary would.
The encirclement of Bride and St. Mary
On the fire, and on the floor,
And on the household all.


Who are they on the bare floor?
John and Peter and Paul.
Who are they by my bed?
The lovely Bride and her fosterling.
Who are those watching over my sleep?
The fair loving Mary and her Lamb.
Who is that at the back of my head?
The Son of Life without beginning, without time.


Deeply and sincerely Christian as these devout Highlanders were, they managed to keep the essence of the old religion in being by turning from the many pagan gods and goddesses - although, as we have seen, some of these were retained underneath a veneer of Christianity - the many saints and angels, as well as the Virgin and the Trinity, thus continuing to surround themselves with divine protection, of a Christian kind, but according to the ancient pre-Christian formulae.

Campbell, in his Witchcraft, notes that Latha na Bliadhn' Ur, "New Year's Day" was also known as the Day of Little Christmas. After the family had got up in the morning, the head of the house gave a dram of whisky to each member of the household; then a strange custom followed in some areas; a breakfast was provided of half-boiled sowens - austere fare for a festive occasion. This was supposed to bring luck to the household. Campbell does say that this tradition was not observed on Mull, Morvern or the Western Isles. Then each member of the family exchanged traditional greetings and did likewise with every person they met. The boy then went off to play shinty and meanwhile a late and luxurious breakfast was prepared. Apparently, no substance of any kind was allowed to be removed from the house on New Year's Day - dirty water, sweeping from the floor, ashes and so on. If a neighbour's fire had gone out one must not give fire from one's own house to them; this was regarded as one of the most unlucky things that could be done. It would ensure a death within that family during the coming year; it also gave power to the black witches to take away the produce from the cattle. No woman should enter the house first on the portentous day.

Extracted from "The Folklore of the Scottish Highlands", By Ann Ross. 1976, Published by Barnes and Noble.

[DavidWW]

Scots Mark New Year With Fiery Ancient Rites

Lara Suziedelis Bogle
for National Geographic News
December 31, 2002


Greeting the new year with friends and spirits is customary in many parts of the world. Residents of Scotland mark the arrival of the new year with particular passion in a holiday they call Hogmanay that draws on their history of Viking invasions, superstition, and ancient pagan rituals.
Hogmanay's origins date back to pagan rituals that marked the time of the winter solstice. Roman celebrations of the hedonistic winter festival of Saturnalia and Viking celebrations of Yule (the origin of the twelve days of Christmas) contributed to celebrations in Scotland around the new year. These celebrations and other ceremonies evolved over the centuries to become the Hogmanay holiday celebrated in Scotland today.

For many centuries in Scotland, Hogmanay was a far more important holiday than Christmas. Historians suggest this may have been a result of the Protestant Reformation after which Christmas, and its close ties to the Roman Catholic Church, was seen as "too Papist." Others point to the grueling work schedules of laborers during the Industrial Revolution which did not provide time off for the Christmas holiday.

Only in the mid-20th century did Christmas emerge as the popular holiday it is in other Christian countries. But don't be fooled—New Year's still reigns supreme. In the last several years, two of Scotland's cities have hosted some of the largest street parties in the world.

Hogmanay—Then and Now

Today, Edinburgh and Glasgow are renowned for large outdoor street celebrations similar to New York City's New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square. Despite cold weather, the festivities draw large crowds and are marked by drinking and carousing into the wee hours of the morning. Thanks to marketing efforts, attendance has grown so overwhelming in recent years that tickets are now required to control crowds.

Some of the country's more interesting Hogmanay traditions are found in private homes and in the Scottish Highlands and islands. A number extend well into the new year.

A custom known as "first footing" dictates that the first person to cross a home's threshold after midnight on New Year's Eve will determine the homeowner's luck for the new year. The ideal visitor bears gifts—preferably whiskey, coal for the fire, small cakes, or a coin—and should be a man with a dark complexion. Why? The answer hearkens back to the 8th century, when the presumably fair-haired Vikings invaded Scotland: a blond visitor was not a good omen.

Although less commonly practiced today, friends celebrate first footing by visiting each other's homes shortly after midnight. They share food and drink and exchange small gifts. It is also customary to sing Auld Lang Syne, the traditional song famously transcribed by Scottish poet Robert Burns.

Another custom is to clean the house thoroughly and burn juniper to rid the house of evil spirits in the coming year.

Many Hogmanay traditions involve fire, another throwback to pagan and Viking times. It is believed fire symbolized the sun's return after the winter solstice or was used to ward off evil spirits.

Locals in the small town of Biggar in southern Scotland have built a bonfire every Hogmanay for hundreds of years, despite the complaints of some residents.

In Stonehaven, a town on Scotland's east coast, the Ancient Fireballs Ceremony unfolds as sixty locals march through the town swinging large flaming spheres over their heads.

Even more extreme is the ritual known as Up Helly Aa, which is carried out in towns in the Shetland Islands on the last Tuesday in January. A custom dating only back to the early 1800s, Up Helly Aa involves entire towns dressing up as Vikings and ceremonially burning a replica of a Viking ship—followed by raucous celebrating.

No one can say for sure which traditions came from exactly where exactly when, only that thousands of years of history have blended to create the cultural centerpiece of the Scottish holiday season.

Hogma-what?

Even the origin of the word Hogmanay is a subject of debate. A few possibilities: It may derive from the Gaelic oge maiden meaning "new morning"; the Celtic hogunnus meaning "new year"; hoog min dag, a Flemish-Dutch phrase meaning "great love day"; or the Old French word aguillanneuf, which refers to both the last day of the year and the gift traditionally given on that day. The last possibility seems especially likely since one of the old Scottish traditions was for children to run from door to door on New Year's Eve asking for presents and shouting, Hogmanay!

Whatever its origins, Hogmanay is an integral part of Scottish culture today. Apparently, one day to recover isn't enough: January 2nd is an official holiday in Scotland, too.