Hogmanay Customs
Hogmanay is an important part of the Scottish Calendar, as well as celebrating
Burns Supper, so let's explore some
traditional Hogmanay Customs.
First of all, 'What is Hogmanay?' If this is a
word you are unfamiliar with - it means “New Year's Eve”. While bringing in the
New Year is celebrated around the world, it is probably more important to many
Scots than the celebration of
Christmas.
The Origins of the word are not clear. Some say it is the celebration of the winter solstice among the Nords, while others say it is part of the Gaelic New Year's celebration of Samhain. In Europe, the winter solstice celebrations came from the ancient celebration of Saturnalia,which originated from a Roman winter festival. Other folk believe it came from the celebration of the 'Yule' by The Vikings which later contributed to the Twelve Days of Christmas. Other occasions we celebrate include Valentine's Day and of course St Andrew's Day.
During the Protestant Reformation period, Christmas was banned as it was seen
as as being Roman Catholic and the celebrations were banned in Scotland for hundreds
of years. Indeed it wasn't even a public holiday and many people had to work,
and somewhere along the line New Year became the time for having time off work, celebrating with
family etc and it became a much bigger and more important celebration than
Christmas. But the excesses of Hogmanay were not liked by the
Church either, and many of the celebrations went 'underground'. These days, however, all the Hogmanay customs and celebrations are seen as a huge part of Scottish culture, and now have spread throughout the world.
There were many traditions that were upheld at this time of the year, but many
of the old hogmanay customs have now disappeared although have carried on down
through the generations and remain part of the celebrations today.
If you want to learn much more about this as well as other Scottish Customs, traditions including our language - then I invite you to browse our
Customs and Culture Bookstore, where you'll find a variety of different books available, even Scots to English Dictionaries!
- The Pre-Hogmanay Preparations.
Cleaning the House - the 31st December was often a busy day, a day of
preparing to see the Old Year out, and to bring in the New Year. Many
businesses closed early to allow the workforce time to go home and clean their houses from top to bottom. This cleaning began in the days when everyone had open fires, and fireplaces in particular had to be
cleaned. It was considered bad luck by some to go into the New Year with a
dirty house. The tradition of cleaning the house for new year still exists today.
Getting rid of Debt – this was another thing that was seen as unlucky
and most households would endeavour to get rid of all debt before midnight on 31st.
It wasn’t good to go into the New Year with debt. It’s a pity this tradition
has stopped as we now live in times when most people enter the New Year with
the debt of over-spending at Christmas.

Having family and friends together and partying is one of the main Hogmanay
customs. As soon as the clock strikes 12. bells are rung in every town and
village throughout the land. Many places have street parties with the villagers
for example all meeting in the village square to bring in the New Year
together. These days of course fireworks are also set off, so it can be quite a
spectacular sight, depending on where you are. So even if you don’t want to go
outside, you can open your curtains, see the fireworks, hear the bells and the
music.
Immediately after midnight it is traditional for everyone to stand in a
circle, cross over their arms, hold hands with people on either side sing
Robert Burns' "Auld Lang Syne". If you don’t know what the words mean – click here to see my attempt at a translation People from around the world sing this,
although they often only know the chorus:
"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."
But of course the Scottish hospitality of welcoming family,
friends and neighbours, also extended to strangers is still very much a custom today. Everyone is in a
happy mood, with or without a ‘drink’ and the belief is very much that a line is
drawn under the Old Year and the New one welcomed in on a happy note.
This is another one of those hogmanay customs which
is still practiced today. It literally means the "first foot" to step into a
house after midnight is still common in Scotland. This is still full of
tradition and even superstition. In order to ensure good luck for the house,
the ‘first foot’ over the door should be male, dark; and of course everyone
‘first footing’ should take symbolic gifts such coal, shortbread, salt, black
bun and whisky. (Blonds & redheads, and especially females with this hair
colouring first-footers were considered ‘bad luck’). These gifts meant the
household would be safe and warm and have enough food for the year. These days,
however, whisky and perhaps shortbread and the famous black bun are the most common gifts
first-footers take. Of course most hosts would have plenty of food and drink in
to offer to their guests.
When I was a youngster, we used to go ‘first footing’ around the parents of
my friends, often not get home until the wee small hours. For others the party
went on until the next day, or even the day after that!
- Torch and Bonfire Ceremonies
As I mentioned earlier most towns and villages have their own celebrations and
there are often TV cameras in larger communities which interview the party-goers
wishing others throughout the country a ‘Guid (good) New Year’. Obviously in places
like the capital Edinburgh you will find not only the bells, but the whole
street party is televised, has bands playing and there is also the fabulous and
magical Firework display and torchlight procession.
Scotland comes to a standstill on January 1st and it’s worth
noting that January 2nd is a also a holiday in Scotland. I think the theory is
to allow folk time to recover from a week celebrations, and the hogmanay
customs.
But, like any celebration anywhere in the world, one of the main features of
hogmanay customs is the famous and traditional Scottish Food. I’ve taken the
easy way out here – my friend Susan & Howard run a fabulous Bed and Breakfast in
Inveraray, and Susan has kindly shared with me the menu they will serve their
guests for this period.

Hogmanay Dinner
Starter
Melon & Prawn Salad
Spicy Root Vegetable Soup
Goats cheese roast pepper and tomato tart
Sorbet
Hogmanay Pie
Prepare to ceilidh with the homemade pie of your
choice
served with a selection of freshly steamed vegetables
Gamekeeper’s Supper
casseroled venison and rabbit,
with shallots in a rich red wine sauce
topped with puff pastry
Pescetarian en Croute
fillet of salmon
topped with a Hollandaise Sauce
tucked up in a shortcrust pastry
Vegetarian Crusty
Spinach & Ricotta
in a herb pastry tart
accompanied by homemade salsa
Dessert
Traditional Homemade Clootie Dumplin' & Custard
Carmelised Pears & Ice Cream
Crannachan Meringue
Tea or Coffee
Served with sweet selection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
New Year Dinner
Starter
Liver Pâté
Celeriac Soup
Smoked Fish Pâté
served with homemade bread
Sorbet
Main
Course
served with a selection of freshly steamed vegetables
Collops of Beef
medallions of tender beef fillet
layered on haggis and topped by a whisky sauce
Vegetarian Option – Thinking of mushroom stroganoff
served with a selection of freshly steamed vegetables
Sideboard of Sweets
Try more than
one if you can and dare! (or share!)
Whisky Mac Cream
decadent combination of chilled cream,
with cosy whisky and ginger wine
Traditional Trifle
Chocolate & Raspberry Torte
Kebabs of Fresh Fruit
with spoons of options
raspberry coulis, ice cream or cream to your delight
Tea
or Coffee
Served with sweet selection
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ne’erday Buffet Supper
Help yourself to
a wee nibble of what you fancy
Soup
Selection of
Pâté, Cheese, Meats
Pickles
Salads
Breads
Savoury Biscuits
Crudités & Dips
Crisps & nuts
Sweet Tastes
Cakes,
Clootie Dumplin’,
Mince pies,
Black bun,
Shortbread
Tablet
Tea/Coffee/Soft Drinks
A wee glass of Sherry/Port
If you have enjoyed this page on Scottish Hogmanay Customs, then look at these pages too:
Traditional Scottish Christmas - Have a look at some of the traditions we have for celebrating Christmas.
Burns Supper - Discover this famous Meal which celebrates the birth of our famous Poet Rabbie Burns.
Auld Lang Syne - Print off the words and sing ready for Hogmanay.
My translation of Auld Lang Syne - Read these words and impress your friends by understanding the words of 'Auld Lang Syne'
Valentine's Day in Scotland - Did you know that the remains of St Valentines are in Glasgow, Scotland? Find out more
Mothers' Day - A simple menu of Cottage Pie followed by rhubarb crumble.
Christmas Cake - Do try this recipe for a traditional Christmas cake.
Scottish Recipes - Check out some of the famous, authentic and traditional Scottish recipes.
Weights and Measurements - Whatever recipe you want to try, this simple guide to weights and measurements and Oven temperatures might help.
Black Bun - This deliciously rich cake is served traditionally at New Year.
Clootie Dumpling - This rich and traditional dish is a favourite all year round but especially at Christmas time.
Roast Venison - Make Christmas, Thanksgiving or other celebration special by serving roast venison to your guests.
Famous Shortbread Recipes - Have a look at some variations of shortbread recipes.
Raspberry Recipes - See what you can do with a punnet of delicious raspberries, including the famous dessert, Crannachan.
Scotch Broth - See the recipe for hearty Scotch Broth.
Scotch Eggs - A simple recipe for you to try. Can be served hot or cold, often at buffets.
Tablet - Indulge in this delicious, but sweet Scottish confectionery.
Feel free to browse our Bookshops - I am sure you will find something to interest you:-
1.
Guide Books and Maps Bookstore
- Select and Buy your Guide Books and Maps before you visit.
2.
General Books on Scotland Bookstore
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a good selection of books about Scotland.
3.
Golf in Scotland Bookstore
- There
are so many books on Golf that I felt this had to be a category on its
own, especially as St Andrews in Fife is the "Home" of Golf.
4. Scottish Language, Customs and Culture Bookstore
- Whether you're looking for some history, Dictionary of Scottish Words,
or information on all sorts of our culture eg Hogmanay, you'll find a
selection of books here that might just fit the bill.
5.
Music and DVDs Store -
You'll find a wide selection of some favourite Scottish Music such as
Pipes and Drums, Fiddle, Accordian music and many famous Artists
including The Proclaimers and Lulu. There's also a selection of
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