Hogmanay – Scotland’s traditional answer to celebrating the New Year
This blog post is loosely based on a dissertation completed for my final year at the University of Edinburgh and contains references to interviews conducted as part of field research. We have all seen multiple new years. Whether you go out clubbing, watch the fireworks under a cosy blanket outside or stay at home and pretend that the new year isn’t coming your way – we all must go through the point of transition to a new year. However, in Scotland, there is something more to a new year’s celebration. Scotland prides itself on the tradition of Hogmanay – the Scottish concept word for a new year. Hogmanay encompasses both the day before and after the turning of the clock into a new January. The essence of a Hogmanay is also contained in the food we eat at this time of year, the music we listen to, the people we see and the traditions we partake in. A form of Hogmanay can be argued to have taken place since the Celts were located in Scotland and holds a huge importance to Scot...