Hogmanay

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I've heard the term "Hogmanay" once before on an obscure TV show.  Now it is plastered all over our grocery store. I was a little confused, because the context in which I understood it before was that it's a Scottish Christmas tradition.  I looked it up and Hogmanay actually celebrates the last day of the old year, A.K.A. New Year's Eve.  There are many traditions of Hogmanay, though I'm not sure how many are celebrated in modern times.  I've heard of one which occurs at midnight when people leave their homes to visit others in the race to be the "first footer"- the first people to enter the house in the new year.  The "first footer" usually brings gifts to represent a hopeful and prosperous new year. There's also events like torchlight marches through the city and huge parties in the streets.  (is Scotland is obsessed with fire the way Americans are with fireworks??) Their Hogmanay traditions are so extreme that they even have traditions for the following morning aimed at curing your hangover - one includes dressing in costume to take the plunge into freezing bodies of water.  Scottish people are built different. 

I'm not sure how many traditions will survive the COVID cancellations, but Pedro and I are keeping to our New Years tradition.  We've kept it up ever since my first New Years at his house.  At midnight, the family eats 12 of something and makes 12 wishes for new year. It could be 12 of anything, usually something small and easy like fruit or candy.  I braved the grocery store and got cherries for him and raspberries for me. Judging by the chaos throughout the aisles, the locals create a Hogmanay Feast fit to feed the whole neighborhood. 

I decided to make us hearty bowls of spaghetti and meatballs (again - easy enough without an oven) and we had a reasonable amount of Scottish beer. I've only now just realized how nice it was without the constant fireworks in the background.  Back home people would be practicing their backyard pyrotechnic shows since Christmas and set them off all day and night.  No fear of our backyard burning down in the night, yay!

We are looking forward to our plans for the new year, a good way to start it off, I think. So, to leave it at that, Happy Hogmanay and Happy New Year! Slàinte Mhath!

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