Hogmanay: New Year's Eve in Scotland

The Hogmanay traditions in Scotland all centre around the approach to midnight on December 31st, the bells themselves and the immediate aftermath. I remember as a child how my Gran would make steak pie on Hogmanay afternoon, to be eaten in the wee small hours, and how she would ensure that every bin in the house was emptied immediately prior to midnight. It was considered extremely unlucky to have any form of household waste in the house when the bells chimed. Not even ashtrays would escape her attention and eagle eye.

Although in many instances in Scotland nowadays people are too drunk to even hear the bells, the tradition was that the drinking only started at midnight. Drinks would be poured just before the bells, not to be touched until the New Year was toasted in and the chimes faded away. It was also traditional that people would see in the New Year in their own homes, with their families, before setting out with their bottles and a lump of coal to engage in the practise of, "First footing," and enjoying more drinks with friends and neighbours.

The, "First foot," of any household is essentially the first person to step through the front door - other than a resident of the house - after midnight on Hogmanay/New Year's Day. Women are considered to be unlucky as first foots, as are fair or red haired men. The traditional lucky first foot is a tall, dark, handsome man. The practise of carrying a lump of coal was as a good luck symbol for the house, that it may know good fortune in the New Year and always have money for heating. Hence the origins of the expression, "Long may yer lum reek!" (Long may your chimney smoke/stink.)

The traditional food of Scotland comes in many different shapes and forms and includes a great deal more than haggis and shortbread! The food which is traditionally eaten in Scotland at Hogmanay includes Steak Pie (pictured right prior to the pastry being placed on top,) the aforementioned shortbread and a much less often seen these days fruit cake called black bun.

Whisky, particularly of the single malt variety, has of course been Scotland's national drink for centuries. This means that a, "Wee dram," is the traditional Scottish refreshment at Hogmanay. In modern times, the plethora of new drinks on the market have of course largely captured the imagination of the younger generations but whisky yet remains the drink which most in Scotland at least associate with Hognmanay, even if they do not partake.

New Year is of course also a time when many of us will wholeheartedly make New Year Resolutions. This is where we will solemnly pledge to do or change something to improve our life or lifestyle in the New Year to come. Why is it, however, that so many of these New Year Resolutions - be they to stop smoking, lose weight, or whatever - so often fail miserably in such a short period of time?

I believe that I have unearthed the reason...

Why New Year's Resolutions Fail

Auld Lang Syne was written by Rabbie Burns in 1788. Although the song is largely Burns' own work, it is based loosely upon a much older song/poem of uncertain origins. The song has become synonymous with not only Hogmanay celebrations in Scotland but with New Year celebrations around the world and it is traditionally sung at the stroke of midnight to welcome in the New Year.

Back around late October or early November 2009, I found myself working in the Scottish West Coast town of Irvine, in North Ayrshire, for a few days. On the afternoon upon which I was due to return home, I stepped on to the platform of Irvine railway station, just as the train I had intended to catch for Glasgow pulled out. I decided that there was no way I was hanging around the cold platform for half an hour until the next Glasgow train arrived, so I headed off to the nearest pub, The Harbour Lights, for a pint of beer.

The pub was quiet when I entered, it being a weekday mid-afternoon, and apart from the barmaid, there were only three other people in the bar. When I went in, the subject of conversation was Scottish banknotes and their acceptability outwith Scotland. It turned out that the three men were all together and were up working in Scotland from England. As I formerly worked in banking and knew the full position regarding Scottish notes and their acceptability outside Scotland, I was able to fill them in on the specifics.

As I ordered my second pint (yes - I missed the next train, too!) the three men all went outside for a smoke. As they did so, an idea for a bit of a joke came in to my head and I asked the barmaid if she would be willing to assist me in carrying it out.

It so happened that I had in my wallet at the time five US Dollar bills. These five dollars related to a charity project I was working on. What I proposed to do was tell the men when they came back in that the barmaid had given me these dollars as part of my change for the pint they had heard me order. I would tell them that - due to the large number of Americans of Scottish descent - the US and Scottish Governments had a reciprocal arrangement in place, allowing US dollars to be spent in Scotland and Scottish banknotes likewise to be spent in the USA.

I believe that I was very convincing relating my hastily manufactured tale and, although two of the men looked sceptical, one of them swallowed my story entirely. He even proceeded to tell me that he was desperate to be back working in Scotland again as he had a few hundred US Dollars at home, left over from a trip to the USA. To this day, I am not sure how I contained my laughter and kept a straight face as I laid the details on thick.

As I finished my second pint and determined that I really had to catch the next train, my conscience started to bother me. I envisaged this extremely friendly young man walking in to perhaps a Glasgow pub, ordering a large round of drinks and then attempting to pay for them in US Dollars. He would have been lynched! Much to the dismay of his two friends, therefore - who believed that I should have left him in the dark - I told him before I left that I had only been joking. He clearly felt a little foolish about having fallen for my story so completely but I believe his temporary embarrassment was preferable to what may well have occured otherwise!