1. 1. 2 5 t h De c emb e r - 1 s t J a n u a r yCh r i s tma s a n d New Y e a ri n S c o t l a n d
2. 2. Christmas in Scotland wastraditionally observed very quietly. Christmas Day only became a publicholiday in 1958, and Boxing Day in1974. Until the 1960s, ChristmasDay was a normal working day formost people in Scotland. Christmasand its related festivities are nownearly on a par with Hogmanay and"Ne'erday". The capital city ofEdinburgh now has a traditionalGerman Christmas market from lateNovember until Christmas Eve. Christmas decorations aretraditionally taken down on TwelfthNight, the evening of January 5. It is common to send Christmascards in the weeks running up toChristmas.
3. 3. Ch r i s tma s Da y Presents are exchanged. Christmas Dinner is usually eaten at lunchtimeor early afternoon on Christmas Day. It'snormally roast turkey, roast vegetables and 'allthe trimmings. (Traditionally, and before turkeywas available, roast beef or goose was themain Christmas meal. Queens Speech at 3pm. Special desserts are also prepared, such asChristmas pudding, mince pies, and fruit cake.A typical Scottish desert is Clootie Dumpling.
4. 4. B o x i n g Da y Boxing Day is a holiday traditionally the day following Christmas Day. In the UK it is now primarily known as a shopping holiday. It is a time where shops have sales, often with dramaticprice reductions. Many shops open very early on Boxing Day. It is not uncommon for people to start queuing in the early hours of themorning. In the United Kingdom, it is traditional for the Premier League (England), Scottish Premiership (Scotland) and NIFLPremiership (Northern Ireland), as well as the lower divisions and rugby leagues, to hold a full programme offootball and rugby league matches on Boxing Day. Traditionally, matches on Boxing Day are played against localrivals. This was originally to avoid teams and their fans having to travel a long distance to an away game on theday after Christmas Day. It also makes the day an important one in the sporting calendar.
5. 5. Ot h e r f e s t i v ef o o d sClootie dumplingMince piesShortbreadTablet
6. 6. New y e a r s e v e(Ho gma n a y )Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year(31st December), also called New Year's Eve. InScotland, Hogmanay is the start of a celebration whichlasts through the night until the morning of New Year'sDay (1st January) or, in some cases, 2nd January whichis a Scottish Bank Holiday. In the big cities, you'll findlarge-scale open air concerts, street parties andspectacular fireworks welcoming 'the bells' (when theclocks chime midnight). Elsewhere, the celebrations areall about community and local events such as dinnerdances, ceildhs or just parties held in neighbours'houses.Lang may yer lum reek! is a traditional ScottishHogmanay greeting. It means May you never be withoutfuel for your fire!", but more literally translates to "Longmay your chimney smoke!.
7. 7. T r a d i t i o n sF i r s t - f o o t i n gIn Scotland, the tradition of first-footing startsimmediately after midnight on Hogmanay. Thefirst-foot is the first person to enter a friend orneighbours house. They bring symbolic giftssuch as salt, coal, shortbread, whisky, and blackbun (a rich fruit cake) which represent financialprosperity, food, flavour, warmth, and good cheer.This may go on throughout the early hours of themorning and well into the next day (althoughmodern days see people visiting houses well intothe middle of January). The first-foot is supposedto set the luck for the rest of the year.
8. 8. S a i n i n g Saining is a Scots word for blessing or protecting. An old Hogmanay custom in Highlands of Scotland, which stillhappens today is to sain the house. Early on New Year's morning,householders drink and then sprinkle 'magic water' from 'a dead andliving ford' around the house (a 'dead and living ford' refers to a riverford that is routinely crossed by both the living and the dead). After thesprinkling of the water in every room, on the beds and all theinhabitants, the house is sealed up tight and branches of juniper areset on fire and carried throughout the house. The juniper smoke isallowed to thoroughly fumigate the buildings until it causes sneezingand coughing among the inhabitants. Then all the doors and windowsare flung open to let in the cold, fresh air of the new year. The womanof the house then administers 'a restorative' from the whisky bottle,and the household sits down to its New Year breakfast.
9. 9. E d i n b u r g hEdinburgh's Hogmanay is one of the biggestand best New Year celebrations in the world.On Hogmanay itself, the action moves toPrinces Street in the very heart of the citybeneath the backdrop of Edinburgh Castle.Around 80,000 people party their way into thenew year at the Concert in the Gardensfeaturing live music and entertainment, DJs,giant screens, outdoor bars and of course, theworld-famous Edinburgh Hogmanay MidnightFireworks Display.
10. 10. T o r c h l i g h tP r o c e s s i o n The Torchlight Processionopens the annual Edinburgh'sHogmanay celebrations witharound 8,000 torchbearerscreating a "river of fire" throughthe city streets. A bunch of noisy, hairy vikingsfrom Shetland will lead aprocession of up to 35,000people, including thosecarrying flaming torches,through the city centre and upto the ancient Edinburghmeeting ground of Calton Hill.
11. 11. B u r n i n g t h eCl a v i e In Burghead, Moray in the northeast of Scotland the Burning ofthe Clavie helps to bring goodluck to residents. A flaming barrelfilled with tar and staves iscarried around town on 11thJanuary (Gaelic New Years Day,using the pre-Gregoriancalendar, is celebrated on the12th), then placed in a ruined fortbefore being allowed to burn outand roll down a hill.
12. 12. F i r e b a l lSwi n g i n g One of the most spectacular fireceremonies takes place in Stonehaven,south of Aberdeen on the north eastcoast. Giant fireballs are swung around onlong metal poles. As the Old Town House bell sounds tomark the New Year, the balls are set alightand the swingers set off up the HighStreet, swinging the burning balls aroundtheir heads as they go. At the end of theceremony, any fireballs that are stillburning are thrown into the harbour. Manypeople enjoy this display, and largecrowds flock to see it. In recent years,additional attractions have been added toentertain the crowds as they wait formidnight, such as fire poi, a pipe band,street drumming and a firework displayafter the last fireball is thrown into the sea.
13. 13. Auld Lang SyneThe custom of singing Auld Lang Syne at midnight on New Years Eve is nowcommon in many countries. It is a traditional Scottish poem written by Robert Burns,which was later set to music.Everyone joins hands with the person next to them to form a great circle around thedance floor. At the beginning of the last verse, everyone crosses their arms across theirbreast, so that the right hand reaches out to the neighbour on the left and vice versa.When the tune ends, everyone rushes to the middle, while still holding hands. Whenthe circle is re-established, everyone turns under the arms to end up facing outwardswith hands still joined.The custom of singing 'Auld Lang Syne' at midnight on New Year's Eve is now common inmany countries. 'Auld Lang Syne' is a traditional poem written by Robert Burns, which was laterset to music.
14. 14. Should auld acquaintance be forgot,and never brought to mind?Should auld acquaintance be forgot,and auld lang syne*?CHORUS:For auld lang syne, my jo,for auld lang syne,well tak' a cup o kindness yet,for auld lang syne.And surely yell be your pint-stoup!and surely Ill be mine!And well tak' a cup o kindness yet,for auld lang syne.We twa hae run about the braes,and poud the gowans fine;But weve wanderd mony a weary fit,sin' auld lang syne.We twa hae paidld in the burn,frae morning sun till dine;But seas between us braid hae roardsin' auld lang syne.And theres a hand, my trusty fiere!and gie's a hand o thine!And well tak' a right gude-willie waught,for auld lang syne.Should old acquaintance be forgot,and never brought to mind?Should old acquaintance be forgot,and old lang syne?CHORUS:For auld lang syne, my dear,for auld lang syne,we'll take a cup of kindness yet,for auld lang syne.And surely youll buy your pint cup!and surely Ill buy mine!And we'll take a cup o kindness yet,for auld lang syne.We two have run about the slopes,and picked the daisies fine;But weve wandered many a weary foot,since auld lang syne.We two have paddled in the stream,from morning sun till dine;But seas between us broad have roaredsince auld lang syne.And theres a hand my trusty friend!And give me a hand o thine!And well take a right good-will draught,for auld lang syne.
15. 15. New Y e a r s Da y(Ne e r d a y )
16. 16. L o o n y Do o k i n gA firm fixture in Scotland's calendar for more than 25 years, the Loony Dookis part of this year's Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations.It has grown in popularity in recent years, with all 1,100 places sold out thisyear.The dook has raised tens of thousands of pounds for charities across the UK,including the South Queensferry lifeboat.
17. 17. NEW Y EAR S R E SOLUT IONSEat more healthily, lose weight, exercise more, drink lessalcohol, quit smoking.Take a trip somewhere you have always wanted to go.Give more to charity.