In its years of supremacy the Presbyterian Church of Scotland was never very keen on Christmas… Christmas was one of these Roman Catholic Feasts of the Church which the Calvinist Kirk viewed with deep suspicion and tried to suppress

Publisher’s Note: Wikipedia describes the unique Scots celebration known as Hogmanay:

Hogmanay (pronounced[ˌhɔɡməˈneː]) is the Scots word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year (Gregorian calendar) in the Scottish manner. It is, however, normally only the start of a celebration which lasts through the night until the morning of New Year’s Day (1 January) or, in some cases, 2 January which is a Scottish Bank Holiday.

There are many customs, both national and local, associated with Hogmanay. The most widespread national custom is the practice of ‘first-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 as salt (less common today), coal, shortbread, whisky, and black bun (a rich fruit 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 hours of the morning and well 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 men are preferred as the first-foot.

(I celebrated Hogmanay by an all-night first-footing on New Years Day in Aberdeen in 1964. One of my friends was a tall, dark young man who was always the leader of the group as we entered! J DKC)

News Story follows:

…”Christmas always seems that most English of Festivals – from the cathedrals, to the music, to the food, to the commercialism, to the landscapes… And Scotland? Scotland has Hogmanay. This is the season when our differences are most visible and most keenly felt.”
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In its years of supremacy the Presbyterian Church of Scotland was never very keen on Christmas… Christmas was one of these Roman Catholic Feasts of the Church which the Calvinist Kirk viewed with deep suspicion and tried to suppress. Consequently even in the middle of the 20th century Christmas celebrations in Scotland were low key. Shops were usually open and many people went to work on Christmas Day…

Gradually things changed. Churches began to hold Christmas Eve services. The influence of television helped to make Christmas a popular occasion. Now Christmas commercialism is every bit as rampant in Scotland as in England, and there is no real difference between a Scottish and English Christmas.
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Hogmanay was never a commercial festival; it was a domestic one when people went first-footing, visiting the houses of their friends and neighbours. This often went on for two or three days. There is less of this than there used to be, especially in country districts. Rural depopulation and drink-driving laws have seen to that. The days are long past when friendly policemen finding you had driven into a ditch or a snow-drift would help you out and set you on your erratic way again without questioning your sobriety…

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