Wikipedia

Hogmanay

This article is about the New Year's Eve event. For the TV series, seeBBC Scotland's Hogmanay.

Hogmanay(/ˈhɒɡməneɪ,ˌhɒɡməˈneɪ/HOG-mə-nay, -⁠NAY,[2]Scots:[ˌhɔɡməˈneː][3]) is theScotsword for the last day of the old year and is synonymous with the celebration of theNew Yearin the Scottish manner. It is normally followed by further celebration on the morning ofNew Year's Day(1 January) and, in some cases, 2 January—aScottish bank holiday.In a few contexts, the word Hogmanay is used more loosely to describe the entire period consisting of the last few days of the old year and the first few days of the new year. For instance, not all events held under the banner of Edinburgh's Hogmanay take place on 31 December.

Hogmanay
Fireworks forEdinburgh's Hogmanay
Official nameHogmanay
Also called"Daft days"[1]
Observed byScots
TypeNational
SignificanceThe final day of theGregorian calendaryear
CelebrationsReflection; late-night partying; family gatherings; feasting; gift exchanges; fireworks; countdowns;watchnight services;social gatherings, during which participants maydance,eat,consumealcoholic beverages,and watch or lightfireworks
Begins31 December
Ends1 January
Date31 December
FrequencyAnnual
Related toNew Year's Eve

The origins of Hogmanay are unclear, but it may be derived fromNorseandGaelicobservances of thewinter solstice.Customs vary throughout Scotland and usually includegift-givingand visiting the homes of friends and neighbours, with particular attention given to thefirst-foot,the first guest of the new year.

Etymology

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Theetymologyof the word is obscure. The earliest proposed etymology comes from the 1693Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence,which held that the term was a corruption of a presumedAncient Greek:ἁγία μήνη(hagíā mḗnē) and that this meant "holy month".[4][a]The three main modern theories derive it from a French,NorseorGaelicroot.

The word is first recorded in aLatinentry in 1443 in theWest RidingofYorkshireashagnonayse.[5]The first appearance inScots languagecame in 1604 in the records ofElgin,ashagmonay.[6]Subsequent 17th-century spellings includeHagmena(1677),[5]Hogmynae night(1681),[5]andHagmane(1693) in an entry of theScotch Presbyterian Eloquence.[4][7]

AlthoughHogmanayis currently the predominant spelling and pronunciation, several variant spellings and pronunciations have been recorded, including:[8]

with the first syllable variously being/hɔg/,/hog/,/hʌg/,/hʌug/or/haŋ/.

Possible French etymologies

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The term may have been introduced toMiddle Scotsvia French. The most commonly cited explanation is a derivation from the northern French dialectal wordhoguinané,or variants such ashoginane,hoginonoandhoguinettes,those being derived from 16th-centuryMiddle Frenchaguillanneufmeaning either a gift given at New Year, a children's cry for such a gift, or New Year's Eve itself.[8][9]TheOxford English Dictionaryreports this theory, saying that the term is a borrowing ofaguillanneuf,a medieval French cry used to welcome the new year consisting of an unknown first element plus "l'an neuf"(" the new year ").[10]

This explanation is supported by a children's tradition, observed up to the 1960s in parts of Scotland at least, of visiting houses in their locality on New Year's Eve and requesting and receiving small treats such as sweets or fruit. The second element would appear to bel'an neuf('the New Year'), with sources suggesting a druidical origin of the practice overall.[11]Compare those toNormanhoguinanéand the obsolete customs inJerseyof cryingma hodgîngnole,and inGuernseyof asking for anoguinane,for a New Year gift (see alsoLa Guiannee). In Québec,la guignoléewas a door-to-door collection for people experiencing poverty.[12]

Compare also the apparent Spanish cognateaguinaldo/aguilando,with a suggested Latin derivation ofhoc in anno"in this year".[7][13]

Other suggestions includeauguimener( "lead to themistletoe"),[14]àgueuxmener('bring to the beggars'),[14]au gui l'an neuf('at the mistletoe the new year', or(l')homme est né('(the) man is born').[15]

Possible Goidelic etymologies

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Fireworks in Scotland's capital city,Edinburgh,as part of the 2011 Hogmanay celebrations

The word may have come from theGoidelic languages.Frazerand Kelley report aManxnew-year song that begins with the lineTo-night is New Year's Night, Hogunnaabut did not record the full text in Manx.[16][17]Kelley himself uses the spellingOg-u-naa... Tro-la-la[18]whereas other sources parse this ashog-un-naaand give the modern Manx form asHob dy naa.[19]Manx dictionaries though giveHop-tu-Naa(Manx pronunciation:[hopʰtθuneː]), generally glossing it as "Hallowe'en",[20][21]same as many of the more Manx-specific folklore collections.[22]

In this context, it is also recorded that in the south of Scotland (for exampleRoxburghshire), there is no⟨m⟩,the word thus beingHunganay,which could suggest the⟨m⟩is intrusive.[19]

Another theory occasionally encountered is a derivation from the phrasethog mi an èigh/eugh([hokmiˈɲeː],"I raised the cry" ), which resemblesHogmanayin pronunciation and was part of the rhymes traditionally recited at New Year[23]but it is unclear if this is simply a case offolk etymology.

Overall, Gaelic consistently refers to the New Year's Eve asOidhche na Bliadhn(a) Ùir(e)( "the Night of the New Year" ) andOidhche Challainn( "the Night of theCalends").[24][25][26]

Possible Norse etymologies

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Other authors[who?]reject both the French and Goidelic theories and instead suggest that the ultimate source for this word's Norman French, Scots, and Goidelic variants have a common Norse root.[27]It is suggested that the full forms

  • "Hoginanaye-Trollalay/Hogman aye, Troll a lay" (with a Manx cognateHop-tu-Naa, Trolla-laa)
  • "Hogmanay, Trollolay, give us of your white bread and none of your gray"[28]

invoke the hill-men (Icelandichaugmenn,compareAnglo-Saxonhoghmen) or "elves" and banishes thetrollsinto the sea (Norseá læ'into the sea').[27][29]Repp furthermore links "Trollalay/Trolla-laa" and the rhyme recorded inPercy's Relics:"Trolle on away, trolle on awaye. Synge heave and howe rombelowe trolle on away", which he reads as a straightforward invocation of troll-banning.[29][30]

Origins

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It is speculated that the roots of Hogmanay may reach back to the celebration of thewinter solsticeamong theNorse,[31]as well as incorporating customs from theGaeliccelebration ofSamhain.TheVikingscelebratedYule,[31]which later contributed to theTwelve Days of Christmas,or the "Daft Days" as they were sometimes called in Scotland. Christmas was not celebrated as a festival, and Hogmanay was the more traditional celebration in Scotland.[15]This may have been a result of theProtestant Reformationafter which Christmas was seen as "tooPapist".[32]

Hogmanay was also celebrated in the far north ofEngland,down to and includingRichmondin North Yorkshire.[33]It was traditionally known as 'Hagmena' inNorthumberland,'Hogmina' inCumberland,and 'Hagman-ha' or 'Hagman-heigh' in theNorth RidingofYorkshire.[34]

Customs

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There are many customs, both national and local, associated with Hogmanay. The most widespread national custom is the practice offirst-footing,which starts immediately after midnight. This involves being the first person to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbour and often involves the giving of symbolic gifts such assalt(less common today),coal,shortbread,whisky,andblack bun(a richfruit cake), intended to bring different kinds of luck to the householder. Food and drink (as the gifts) are then given to the guests. This may go on throughout the early morning hours and into the next day (although modern days see people visiting houses well into the middle of January). The first-foot is supposed to set the luck for the rest of the year. Traditionally, tall, dark-haired men are preferred as the first-foot.[35]

Local customs

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StonehavenFireballs Ceremony 2003
Catalan Sun Goddess from the Hogmanay Street Party,Edinburgh2005

An example of a local Hogmanay custom is the fireball swinging that takes place inStonehaven,Aberdeenshire,in northeast Scotland. This involves local people making up "balls" of chicken wire filled with old newspaper, sticks, rags, and other dry flammable material up to a diameter of 2 feet (0.61 m), each attached to about 3 feet (0.91 m) of wire, chain or nonflammable rope. As theOld Town Housebell sounds to mark the new year, the balls are set alight, and the swingers set off up the High Street from the Mercat Cross to the Cannon and back, swinging the burning balls around their heads as they go.[36]

At the end of the ceremony, fireballs still burning are cast into the harbour. Many people enjoy this display, and large crowds flock to see it,[37]with 12,000 attending the 2007/2008 event.[38]In recent years, additional attractions have been added to entertain the crowds as they wait for midnight, such asfire poi,apipe band,street drumming, and a firework display after the last fireball is cast into the sea. The festivities are nowstreamed liveover the Internet.[37] Another example of a fire festival is theburning the claviein the town ofBurgheadinMoray.[39]

In the east coast fishing communities andDundee,first-footers once carried a decoratedherring.And inFalklandinFife,local men marched in torchlight procession to the top of theLomond Hillsas midnight approached. Bakers inSt Andrewsbaked special cakes for their Hogmanay celebration (known as "Cake Day" ) and distributed them to local children.[40]

Institutions also had their own traditions. For example, amongst the Scottish regiments, officers waited on the men at special dinners while at the bells, the Old Year is piped out of barrack gates. The sentry then challenges the new escort outside the gates: "Who goes there?" The answer is "The New Year, all's well."[41]

An old custom in the Highlands is to celebrate Hogmanay with thesaining(Scotsfor 'protecting, blessing') of the household and livestock. Early on New Year's morning, householders drink and then sprinkle 'magic water' from 'a dead and livingford' around the house (a 'dead and living ford' refers to a river ford that is routinely crossed by both the living and the dead). After the sprinkling of the water in every room, on the beds and all the inhabitants, the house is sealed up tight and branches of juniper are set on fire and carried throughout the house and byre. The juniper smoke is allowed to thoroughly fumigate the buildings until it causes sneezing and coughing among the inhabitants. Then, all the doors and windows are flung open to let in the cold, fresh air of the new year. The woman of the house then administers 'a restorative' from the whisky bottle, and the household sits down to its New Year breakfast.[42]

"Auld Lang Syne"

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Main article:Auld Lang Syne
John Masey Wrightand John Rogers' c. 1841 illustration ofAuld Lang Syne.

The Hogmanay custom of singing "Auld Lang Syne" has become common in many countries. "Auld Lang Syne" is a Scots poem byRobert Burns,based on traditional and other earlier sources. It is common to sing this in a circle of linked arms crossed over one another as the clock strikes midnight for New Year's Day. However, it is only intended that participants link arms at the beginning of the final verse before rushing into the centre as a group.[43]

In the media

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Between 1957 and 1968, a New Year's Eve television programme,The White Heather Club,was presented to herald the Hogmanay celebrations. The show was presented byAndy Stewart,who always began by singing, "Come in, come in, it's nice to see you...." The show always ended with Stewart and the cast singing, "Haste ye Back":

Haste ye back, we loue you dearly,
Call again you're welcome here.
May your days be free from sorrow,
And your friends be ever near.

May the paths o'er which you wander,
Be to you a joy each day.
Haste ye back we loue you dearly,
Haste ye back on friendship's way.

The performers wereJimmy Shandand band,Ian Powrieand his band, Scottish country dancers: Dixie Ingram and the Dixie Ingram Dancers, Joe Gordon Folk Four, James Urquhart, Ann & Laura Brand,Moira Anderson&Kenneth McKellar.All the male dancers and Andy Stewart wore kilts, and the female dancers wore long white dresses with tartan sashes. Following the demise of theWhite Heather Club,Andy Stewart continued to feature regularly in TV Hogmanay shows until his retirement.[44]His last appearance was in 1992.

In the 1980s, comedianAndy Cameronpresented theHogmanay Show(on STV in 1983 and 1984 and from 1985 to 1990 onBBC Scotland) while Peter Morrison presented the showA Highland Hogmanayon STV/Grampian, axed in 1993.

For many years, a staple of New Year's Eve television programming in Scotland was thecomedy sketchshowScotch and Wry,featuring the comedianRikki Fulton,which invariably included a hilarious monologue from him as the gloomy Reverend I.M. Jolly.

Since 1993, the programmes that have been mainstays on BBC Scotland on Hogmanay have beenHogmanay LiveandJonathan Watson's football-themed sketch comedy show,Only an Excuse?.

Presbyterian influence

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The 1693Scotch Presbyterian Eloquencecontained one of the first mentions of the holiday in official church records.[4]Hogmanay was treated with general disapproval. Still, in Scotland, Hogmanay and New Year's Day are as important asChristmas EveandChristmas Day.

Although Christmas Day held its normal religious nature in Scotland amongst itsCatholicand Episcopalian communities, the Presbyterian national church, theChurch of Scotland,discouraged the celebration of Christmas for nearly 400 years; it only became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958. Conversely, 1 and 2 January are public holidays, and Hogmanay is still associated with as much celebration as Christmas in Scotland.

AViking longshipis burnt during Edinburgh's annual Hogmanay celebrations (though Edinburgh has no historical connection with thoseNorse who invadedScotland).

Major celebrations

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Hogmanay reveller piping in the New Year in Queen's Park, Glasgow - 31 December 2023

As in much of the world, the largest Scottish cities –Glasgow,EdinburghandAberdeen– hold all-night celebrations, as doStirlingandInverness.TheEdinburgh Hogmanaycelebrations are among the largest in the world. Celebrations in Edinburgh in 1996–97 were recognised by theGuinness Book of Recordsas the world's largest New Years party, with approximately 400,000 people in attendance. Numbers were then restricted due to safety concerns.[45]

In 2003-4, most organised events were cancelled at short notice due to very high winds. The Stonehaven Fireballs went ahead as planned, however, with 6,000 people braving the stormy weather to watch 42 fireball swingers process along the High Street.[46]Similarly, the 2006–07 celebrations in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Stirling were all cancelled on the day, again due to high winds and heavy rain.[47]The Aberdeen celebration, however, went ahead and was opened by pop music groupWet Wet Wet.

Many Hogmanay festivities were cancelled in 2020–21 and 2021–22 due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in Scotland.[48]

Ne'erday

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Most Scots celebrate New Year's Day with a special dinner, usuallysteak pie.[49][50]

Handsel Day

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Main article:Handsel Day

Historically, presents were given in Scotland on the first Monday of the New Year. A roast dinner would be eaten to celebrate the festival.Handselwas a word for gift and hence "Handsel Day".[51]In modern Scotland, this practice has died out.

The period of festivities running from Christmas to Handsel Monday, including Hogmanay and Ne'erday, is known as the Daft Days.[52][53][54]

See also

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Footnotes

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  1. ^μήνηactually means "moon"

Notes

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  1. ^"What is Hogmanay?".BBC.BBC Newsround.Retrieved29 December2023.
  2. ^"Hogmanay".LexicoUK English Dictionary.Oxford University Press.Archived fromthe originalon 22 March 2020.
  3. ^The Concise Scots DictionaryCambers (1985)ISBN0-08-028491-4
  4. ^abcCrokatt, Gilbert; Monroe, John (1738) [First published 1693].Scotch Presbyterian eloquence display'd.Rotterdam: J. Johnson. p. 120.It is ordinary among some plebeians in the South of Scotland to go about from door to door upon New-years Eve, crying Hagmane, a corrupted Word from the Greekαγια μηνη,which signifies the Holy Month.
  5. ^abc"hogmanay, n.". OED Online. December 2014. Oxford University Press. (accessed 22 December 2014).
  6. ^William Cramond,The records of Elgin,2 (Aberdeen, 1903), p. 119"delatit to haue been singand hagmonayis on Satirday".
  7. ^abcdefghi"Hagmane".Dictionary of the Scots Language.Retrieved21 December2011.
  8. ^abcdefRobinson, Mairi (ed)The Concise Scots Dictionary(1985) The Scottish National Dictionary AssociationISBN0-08-028491-4
  9. ^Campbell, John Gregorson(1900, 1902, 2005)The Gaelic Otherworld.Edited by Ronald Black. Edinburgh, Birlinn Ltd.ISBN1-84158-207-7p. 575: "'Hogmanay' is French in origin. In the northern French dialect, it washoguinané,going back to Middle Frenchaguillaneuf(cf.Guillaneu[fr]), meaning a gift given on New Year's eve or the word cried out in soliciting it. "
  10. ^Murray, James A. (1933)."Hogmanay".The Oxford English Dictionary.Vol. v (H-k). Oxford University Press – via Archive.org.
  11. ^"Hogmanay".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. XIII SLICE V Hinduism to Home, Earls of (11 ed.).
  12. ^Roy, Pierre-GeorgesLes petites choses de notre histoireArchived25 January 2021 at theWayback MachineGarneau (1944)
  13. ^"Aguilando".rae.es.Real Academia Española.Retrieved21 September2015.
  14. ^abChambers, Robert (1870).Popular Rhymes of Scotland(New (fourth?) ed.). Chambers. p. 165.
  15. ^ab"Hogmanay", Scotland.org.Retrieved 14 May 2009.
  16. ^Frazer, Sir James GeorgeThe Golden Bough1922
  17. ^Kelley, RuthThe Book of Hallowe'en(1919)
  18. ^Y Kelley, YuanFockleyr Gailckagh as Baarlagh(1866) The Manx Society
  19. ^abFolk-lore – A Quarterly Review of Myth, Tradition, Institution and Custom Vol II(1891) The Folk-lore Society
  20. ^Broderick, G.A Handbook of Late Spoken ManxNiemeyer (1984)ISBN3-484-42904-6
  21. ^Fargher, DouglasFockleyr Baarle-Gaelg(1979) Shearwater PressISBN0-904980-23-5
  22. ^Moore, A.W.Manx Ballads & Music(1896) G R Johnson
  23. ^"Origin of Hogmanay".Townsville Daily Bulletin.5 January 1940.Retrieved1 January2012.
  24. ^MacBain, A.Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language(1896)
  25. ^Dwelly, E.The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary(1941)
  26. ^Mark, ColinThe Gaelic-English Dictionary(2004) RoutledgeISBN0-415-29761-3
  27. ^abHarrison, W.Mona Miscellany(1869) Manx Society
  28. ^Chambers, R.Popular Rhymes of Scotland(1841) W&R Chambers p. 165
  29. ^abRepp, ÞorleifurOn the Scottish Formula of Congratulation on New Year's Eve – "Hogmanay, Trollalay" (1831) Transactions of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Vol IV
  30. ^Percy, ThomasPercy's Reliques(1765)
  31. ^ab"The History of Hogmanay".Historic UK.
  32. ^Bogle, Lara Suziedelis. "Scots Mark New Year With Fiery Ancient Rites",National Geographic News,31 December 2002
  33. ^Hutton, Ronald (2001).The Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain.Oxford University. p. 65.ISBN0192854488.
  34. ^Nicholson, Edward (1897).Golspie: Contributions to Its Folklore.Nutt.
  35. ^"Hogmanay traditions, old and new".BBC. 30 December 2015.
  36. ^"Stonehaven Fireballs | Stonehaven's way to greet the new year".stonehavenfireballs.co.uk.Retrieved14 December2020.
  37. ^abStonehaven Fireball AssociationArchived2 October 2011 at theWayback Machinephotos and videos of festivities. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
  38. ^Aberdeen Press and Journal[permanent dead link‍]2 January 2018. "around 12,000 turned out in Stonehaven to watch the town's traditional fireball ceremony." Retrieved 3 January 2008.
  39. ^"The Burning of the Clavie, Burghead Moray".Burghead Visitor Centre.Retrieved17 May2021.
  40. ^"Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: SND:: cake".Retrieved17 May2021.
  41. ^'Hogmanay TraditionsArchived17 December 2007 at theWayback Machine' atScotland's Tourism Board.Retrieved 21 December 2007.
  42. ^McNeill, F. Marian(1961). "X Hogmany Rites and Superstitions".The Silver Bough, Vol.3: A Calendar of Scottish National Festivals, Halloween to Yule.Glasgow: William MacLellan. p. 113.ISBN0-948474-04-1.
  43. ^"Auld Lang Syne could be lost as only 3 percent know the words".scotsman.Retrieved17 January2019.
  44. ^"A funny wee idea for a show: Ian Jack misses Andy Stewart and the whole 'White Heather Club' crowd".The Independent.16 October 1993.
  45. ^"Numbers cut for Hogmanay party".HeraldScotland.4 November 1997.Retrieved17 January2019.
  46. ^'History of the Stonehaven Fireballs CeremonyArchived4 January 2008 at theWayback Machine', 3 January 2008, atStonehaven Fireballs Association.Retrieved 3 January 2008.
  47. ^'Weather spoils Hogmanay parties', 1 January 2007, atBBC News, Scotland.Retrieved 21 December 2007.
  48. ^"Hogmanay events cancelled as Covid rules tightened".BBC News.21 December 2021.Retrieved21 December2021.
  49. ^'Scottish Hogmanay Customs and Traditions at New Year' atAbout AberdeenArchived11 January 2012 at theWayback Machine.Retrieved 21 December 2007.
  50. ^"Our humble pie man".scotsman.
  51. ^"Handsel".Oxford English Dictionary(Online ed.).Oxford University Press.(Subscription orparticipating institution membershiprequired.)"A gift or present (expressive of good wishes)".
  52. ^"Scotslanguage - Fergusson's Daft Days".scotslanguage.
  53. ^"Dictionary of the Scots Language:: SND:: feast".
  54. ^"Dictionary of the Scots Language:: SND:: daft".

References

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  • Observations on the Popular Antiquities of Great Britain,Brand, London, 1859
  • Dictiounnaire Angllais-Guernesiais,de Garis, Chichester, 1982
  • Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français,Le Maistre, Jersey, 1966
  • Dictionary of the Scots Language,Edinburgh
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