11022198. There is an old Scottish saying, ‘He’s as bare as the birk at Yule E’en’, alluding to having no clothes or being poor. • Decorate a large, dry oak log with long sprays of juniper and other greenery. Scottish traditions have their roots deep-set in history, and the Highland Games have been around for over a thousand years, perhaps even longer. Linked but distinct from this, Welsh folk looked to their shadows cast by the Yule log from the fire, looking to see who would appear on the walls as headless shadows. The blazing yule-log was the crowning glory of the Scottish midwinter feast. The Yules are no exception, even though at Yuletide the greenery has all but gone, the ground grasped in winter’s frozen embrace. On Christmas … It's also a time to celebrate with family and friends, and share the spirit of giving during the holidays. The solstice is the twice yearly event when the sun appears to be at its highest or lowest point above the horizon. Christmas comes late for residents of one tiny Scottish island who will celebrate the festivities today in a tradition that has lasted for as long as anyone living there can remember. Up to a thousand people in fancy dress throw themselves into the icy water of the Firth of Forth at South Queensferry, just a few miles out of the Scottish capital. Druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic society, celebrated the festival of Alban Arthuan (also known as Yule) at the time of the Winter solstice. Though nature is at its lowest ebb at Yule, we still find a way to bring the power of the landscape in to our homes and communities. How One Scottish Town Revived a Local Tradition After 80 Years The “Stromness Yule Log Pull” is officially back. … Then, with the powerful Kirk frowning upon anything related to Roman Catholicism, the Scottish Parliament passed a law in 1640 that made celebrating ‘Yule vacations’ illegal. This overindulgence kicked off the traditions of the Yuletide, the Yule feast and the Yule Log. One is for birch twig tea, the other for pickled ash keys. Our aim is to showcase the best the Scottish Highlands & Islands has to offer. In the Highlands, the midwife would make sure the first thing a newborn ate was ash sap. This bizarre celebration takes place on the first day of the New Year. Wil . According to tradition it was extremely unlucky for a barefooted woman or a squint eyed man to see the yule log; and a flat footed visitor to the house whilst the log was burning was a very bad omen. So, if there is a specifically "Scottish" aspect to Christmas it is that it was not celebrated! Recipes for such foods as the Ye’el Bannock or Yule Bannock, ‘sour cakes’ or ‘soor poos’ are still around today. Sometimes the log was decorated with evergreens and only brought into the house on Christmas Eve. Necromancy and the dead are very common in Scottish folk magic, which you can read more about here. In Norse mythology the sun is a wheel that changes the seasons and it was from the word for this wheel, houl, that the word yule comes from. Each took turns Historians believe that many fascinating Hogmanay customs and traditions have their roots in pagan festivals such as the Norse Winter Solstice, the Viking Yule, and the Gaelic Samhain. Yule time traditions date far back to the Druids and Pagans. The person who finds a trinket in their loaf will have good luck all year. And the nichts were lang and mirk True Highlands9 St Valery PlaceUllapoolIV26 2TD, | site map | website design, development & SEO – twofentons, Burghead Chambered Well, Moray, was discovered in, The recent full moon meant Gavin McWhirter got thi, This last 12 months has been difficult for #touris, The smell of peat burning in winter is truly evoca, Our advertisers are small, independent businesses, This website uses cookies to ensure the best user experience. It is here at the winter solstice, when the last rays of the setting sun shine through Maeshowe’s entrance passage to pierce the darkness of the chambered cairn. Here at Best Scottish Tours we love Christmas. From tourist attractions, days out, shopping and a great place to stay, you’ll find it all here. Swimming the Loony Dook - quite possibly the looniest Scottish New Year tradition. It never stops to astonish me how often the Cailleach appears in Scottish folk traditions. light the new block, Bake some Yule bannocks. Sol Invictus (“The Unconquered Sun”) was originally a Syrian deity, who was adopted as the chief of the Roman gods. There are traditional Christmas trees (most likely Scots pines), adorned with all kinds of shiny and twinkling stuff. Sun return’. At one time guisers were as common at New Year as they were at Halloween. Wreaths of ash were wrapped around cow horns, and English mothers rigged little hammocks for their newborns in ash trees, believing the tree would protect them from witches and wild animals whilst they worked. Christmas spirit, a potent blend of being kind and nice to others, is what we require the most now. Until the 1960s, Christmas Day was a normal working day for most people in Scotland. Irish Christmas Blessings. Although this tradition has all but disappeared, it was once an important part of the Christmas season in rural Ireland. For communities, this time of year was all about the feast, propitiation and divination and a rest from work. It was built at around the same time and its architecture clearly links it to the solstice tradition. Do you have a subject you would like us to cover, well just drop us a line and we’ll see what we can do. He was afraid that the world was returning to the chaos and emptiness that existed before creation, so he fasted. Cover with a lid and decoct, simmering for around 20 mins. The ancient Celtic people believed that the sun stood still for twelve days in the middle of winter and during this time a log was lit, using the remains of the previous year’s fire. Decorating the tree, eating too much, exchanging gifts and most importantly spending time with our families. Most cattle would be slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so a plentiful supply of fresh meat was available. Yule is Germanic in origin but seems to have made its way west to the English-speaking lands over the centuries and been absorbed by Christian culture. As celebrations of saturnalia died away this evolved to become the pre-eminent winter festival, the date was eventually co-opted by Christians as the faith spread. The Yule log was burned in the fireplace, there was kissing under the mistletoe (related to a Druidic fertility rite) and the house was decorated with … (Interestingly a figure of a man was chalked in a similar fashion in Cornwall). However, the Reformation transformed attitudes to traditional Christian feasting days, including Christmas, and led in practice to the abolition of festival day… It was also to symbolise the idea that life could continue in the darkness, since around Christmas is the longest nights of the year. Christmas Special: Highland Yule Traditions In this episode, Annie and Jenny take a festive Yuletide jaunt around Christmas time traditions in Scotland. In a way, this serves a purpose not completely divorced from the original intentions. A gift demands a gift. A life demands a life. 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