Someone please explain to me what 'hogmanay' is?

Question

i know i may have spelt it wrong & also its scottish (i think)??

Answer 1

1. The eve of New Year's Day, on which children traditionally go from house to house asking for presents.
2. A present requested or given on this day.

Answer 2

Hogmanay (pronounced [ˌhɔgməˈneː] — with the main stress on the last syllable - hog-muh-NAY) is the Scots word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year in the Scottish manner. Its official date is the 31 December. However this is normally only the start of a celebration which lasts through the night until the morning of the 1 January or, in many cases, 2 January, which used to be a Scottish Bank Holiday.

Answer 3

Hogmanay is New Year's Eve as celebrated in Scotland and in parts of northern England

Answer 4

Main Entry: Hog·ma·nay
Pronunciation: "häg-m&-'nA, 'häg-m&-"
Function: noun
Etymology: origin unknown
1 Scottish : the eve of New Year's Day
2 Scottish : a gift solicited or given at Hogmanay

Answer 5

Yes it`s new years eve and traditional to go first footing,if your first footer is dark then this is supposed to be lucky

Answer 6

What does Hogmanay actually mean and what is the derivation of the name? Why do the Scots more than any other nation celebrate the New Year with such a passion? Why should a tall dark stranger be a welcome first foot visitor after midnight, carrying a lump of coal and a slice of black bun?

Read on …………


The Origins of Hogmanay


A guid New Year to ane an` a` and mony may ye see!
While New Year's Eve is celebrated around the world, the Scots have a long rich heritage associated with this event - and have their own name for it, Hogmanay.

There are many theories about the derivation of the word "Hogmanay". The Scandinavian word for the feast preceding Yule was "Hoggo-nott" while the Flemish words (many have come into Scots) "hoog min dag" means "great love day". Hogmanay could also be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon, Haleg monath, Holy Month, or the Gaelic, oge maidne, new morning. But the most likely source seems to be the French. "Homme est né" or "Man is born" while in France the last day of the year when gifts were exchanged was "aguillaneuf" while in Normandy presents given at that time were "hoguignetes". Take your pick!

In Scotland a similar practice to that in Normandy was recorded, rather disapprovingly, by the Church.

"It is ordinary among some Plebians in the South of Scotland, to go about from door to door upon New Year`s Eve, crying Hagmane."
Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence, 1693.
Hogmanay Traditional Celebrations
Historians believe that we inherited the celebration from the Vikings who, coming from even further north than ourselves, paid even more attention to the passing of the shortest day. In Shetland, where the Viking influence was strongest, New Year is called Yules, from the Scandinavian word.

It may not be widely known but Christmas was not celebrated as a festival and virtually banned in Scotland for around 400 years, from the end of the 17th century to the 1950s. The reason for this has its roots in the Protestant Reformation when the Kirk portrayed Christmas as a Popish or Catholic feast and therefore had to be banned. Many Scots had to work over Christmas and their winter solstice holiday was therefore at New Year when family and friends gathered for a party and exchange presents, especially for the children, which came to be called hogmanay.

There are traditions before midnight such as cleaning the house on 31st December (including taking out the ashes from the fire in the days when coal fires were common). There is also the superstition to clear all your debts before "the bells" at midnight.

Immediately after midnight it is traditional to sing Robert Burns' "For Auld Lang Syne". Burns claimed it was based on an earlier fragment and certainly the tune was in print over 80 years before he published his version in 1788.

"Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot and auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o kindness yet, for auld lang syne."

An integral part of the Hogmanay partying, which continues very much today, is to welcome friends and strangers, with warm hospitality and of course a kiss to wish everyone a Guid New Year. The underlying belief is to clear out the vestiges of the old year, have a clean break and welcome in a young, New Year on a happy note.

"First footing" (that is, the "first foot" in the house after midnight) is still common in Scotland. To ensure good luck for the house, the first foot should be male, dark (believed to be a throwback to the Viking days when blond strangers arriving on your doorstep meant trouble) and should bring symbolic coal, shortbread, salt, black bun and whisky. These days, however, whisky and perhaps shortbread are the only items still prevalent (and available).

"Handselling" was the custom of gift giving on the first Monday of the New Year but this has died out.

Torch and Bonfire Ceremonies
The magical Firework display and torchlight procession in Edinburgh - and throughout many cities in Scotland - is reminiscent of the ancient custom at Scottish Hogmanay pagan parties hundreds of years ago.

The traditional New Year ceremony of yesteryear would involve people dressing up in the hides of cattle and running around the village being hit by sticks. The festivities would also include the lighting of bonfires, rolling blazing tar barrels down the hill and tossing torches. Animal hide was also wrapped around sticks and ignited which produced a smoke that was believed to be very effective to ward off evil spirits. The smoking stick was also known as a Hogmanay.

Some of these customs do continue, especially in the small, older communities in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland where tradition, along with language and dialect are kept alive and well. On the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides, the young boys form themselves into opposing bands, the leader of each wears a sheep skin, while a member carries a sack. The bands move through the village from house to house reciting a Gaelic rhyme. On being invited inside, the leader walks clockwise around the fire, while everyone hits the skin with sticks. The boys would be given some bannocks - fruit buns - for their sack before moving on to the next house.

One of the most spectacular Fire ceremonies takes place in Stonehaven, just south of Aberdeen on the North East coast. Giant fireballs, weighing up to 20 pounds are lit and swung around on five feet long metal poles, requiring 60 men to carry them as they march up and down the High Street. The origin of the pre-Christian custom is believed to be linked to the Winter Solstice of late December with the fireballs signifying the power of the sun, to purify the world by consuming evil spirits.

And it is worth remembering that January 2nd is a holiday in Scotland as well as the first day of the year - to give us all time to recover from a week of merry-making and celebration, all part of Scotland's fascinating cultural legacy of ancient customs and traditions surrounding the pagan festival of Hogmanay.

Answer 7

Hear's tay you an yours Splat from Dumfries, Happy new year.

Answer 8

mayonaise made out of pig

Answer 9

Hogmanay is celebrated on New Year's Eve, every year, usually in a most exuberant fashion in Scotland as hundreds of thousands of revellers take to the streets to see in the New Year. In the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh it has become a huge ticketed festival. Celebrations start in the early evening and reach a crescendo by midnight. Minutes before the start of new year, a lone piper plays, then the bells of Big Ben chime at the turn of midnight, lots of kissing, and everyone sings Auld Lang Syne. And then there is more kissing. Elsewhere in Scotland, particularly in more remote parts, customary first footing and Scottish dances, or ceilidhs (pronounced "kayli"), take place. For centuries, fire ceremonies -- torch light processions, fireball swinging and lighting of New Year fires -- played an important part in the Hogmanay celebrations. And they still do.

Where did the word Hogmanay come from
Nobody knows for sure where the word "Hogmanay" came from. Opinions differ as to whether it originated from the Gaelic oge maidne ("New Morning"), Anglo-Saxon Haleg Monath ("Holy Month"), or Norman French word hoguinané, which was derived from the Old French anguillanneuf ("gift at New Year"). It's also been suggested that it came from the French au gui mener ("lead to the mistletoe") or a Flemish combo hoog ("high" or "great"), min ("love" or "affection") and dag ("day"). Take your pick.

What are the origins of Hogmanay?
Hogmanay's roots reach back to the pagan practice of sun and fire worship in the deep mid-Winter. This evolved into the ancient Saturnalia, a great Roman Winter festival, where people celebrated completely free of restraint and inhibition. The Vikings celebrated Yule, which became the twelve days of christmas, or the "Daft Days" as they became known in Scotland. The Winter festival went underground with the Reformation and ensuing years, but re-emerged at the end of the 17th Century. Since then the customs have continued to evolve to the modern day. It is only in recent years that Hogmanay has been celebrated on such a large scale: the first event of its kind was at "Summit in the City" in 1992 when Edinburgh hosted the European Union Heads of State conference. Edinburgh's Hogmanay festival was so successful that it spawned similar events throughout Scotland for last year's millennium festivities. This year the big three Scottish Ne'er celebrations are Edinburgh's Hogmanay, Glasgow's Hogmanay and Stirling's Hogmanay.

How has Hogmanay changed?
The older generation will tell you that today's Hogmanay street party events are nothing like the Hogmanay celebrations they used to experience.

What is the symbolism of fire at Hogmanay?
The flame and fire at Hogmanay symbolises many things. The bringing of the light of knowledge from one year to the next, lighting the way into the next uncharted century, putting behind you the darkness past, but carrying forward its sacred flame of hope and enlightenment to a better parish, and in this day, world.

What is First Footing?
Traditionally, it has been held that your new year will be a prosperous one if, at the strike of midnight, a "tall, dark stranger" appears at your door with a lump of coal for the fire, or a cake or coin. In exchange, you offered him food, wine or a wee dram of whisky, or the traditional Het Pint, which is a combination of ale, nutmeg and whisky. It's been sugggested that the fear associated with blond strangers arose from the memory of blond-haired Viking’s raping and pillaging Scotland circa 4th to 12th centuries. What's more likely to happen these days is that groups of friends or family get together and do a tour of each others' houses. Each year, a household takes it in turn to provide a meal for the group. In many parts of Scotland gifts or "Hogmananys" are exchanged after the turn of midnight.

When did the millennium start
Although the big celebrations marking the "New Millennium" were at the beginning of the year 2000 in the Christian calendar, according to the Greenwich Observatory, which sets the standard for Greenwich Meantime, used throughout the developed world, the old millennium is not actually "out" and the new millennium "in" until the start of the year 2001. A new millennium can't start on the year zero.

Where is the biggest Hogmanay street party?
Edinburgh and Glasgow both have street parties for 100,000 people. This is even though the capital is less populated than Glasgow, around 450,000 compared to 750,00 people. However, although last year 100,000 tickets were distributed for the Edinburgh Hogmanay street party, a lot more people found their way in. The biggest Hogmanay street party in Scotland to date was an estimated 300,000 at Edinburgh's Hogmanay in 1996/97 (so they say). It was too many, people were crushed, and it consequently became a ticketed event.

Who pays for the Hogmanay celebrations?
Funding comes from a mixture of soures. Smaller public events, usually involving live music and fireworks at midnight, are organised by councils across Scotland. With bigger events funding comes from private sponsorship, grants, and local tax payers. In recent years, Edinburgh's Hogmanay has started charging for tickets to the street party, which also generates more income for the annual festivities.

What are the words to Auld Lang's Syne?
The words that many of us join hands and sing at the strike of midnight are written in old Scots, the language commonly spoken in Scotland until 1707 when Scotland's Parliament dissolved itself and was merged with England. The words were adapted by Rabbie Burns, Scotland's National poet, from a traditional poem.

Take a deep breath now:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll tak a cup o'kindness yet
For auld lang syne!

Want more? Go to the Auld Lang Syne words and meanings or Auld Lang Syne karaoke

FAQ About Hogmanay.net

Hogmanay.Net
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Information on Hogmanay.net

Our website www.Hogmanay.net has now become the top website globally to visit to find information details of what is happening across the whole of Scotland during the Hogmanay period.
Launched in September 1997,by a group of Edinburgh-based Internet journalists and new Media producers, this dynamic site provides Hogmanay revellers with information about tickets, accommodation, events, and how to survive the Ne’er day festivities. Users can access the oldest Hogmanay clock in the world, interact in a chat room, use bulletin boards for messaging, view slide shows, watch video-clips and catch the most up to date news from all the festivity areas throughout Scotland, as well as catch up on the latest instalment in the cartoon series Hogman. In past years we provided free, a programme of ninety minutes of the best of Scottish music, thanks to a co-production of ourselves www.Hogmanay.net and Temple Records (www.Templerecords.co.uk) You will be able to both download and pickup streaming audio for your Hogmanay celebrations whether you are in frozen wastes of Svalbard, the Jungles of Brazil or indeed anywhere on this wonderful planet. Just Logon and play, and have yourself a party with us. This year we have a whole load of new projects.
We have several live web cam links, where you can watch live celebrations across Scotland from Biggar to Orkney to Glasgow these will all be accessible through our area or town page sections e.g. check Glasgow’s George square cam. We will be attempting to web-cast the first live Orkney “Ba” on New Years day, so Orcadians and others all over the world, can log on and see the game between the uppies and the doonies live for the first time ever. Dornoch, Wick, Glasgow, Biggar and Edinburgh. We have been actively encouraging sixth year pupils to become involved in the project in the different areas, with some success.
In the last eight years in the month of December,www.Hogmanay.net has been registering a huge amount of Internet traffic, last year we had 2.3 million hits from 85 different countries in 24 hours, and many times this amount throughout the year, all seeking information for what was happening in all the major cities and country areas throughout the whole of Scotland from Shetland to the Borders.
This year we anticipate increasing these figures, but as we are all aware, the development of the Internet is running at such a pace that we may well exceed these projections, as we did last year.
Our site has been up and running for eight years and is privately owned, and self-financed.
Our mission has been, and will always be to provide, the best possible information site for Scotland’s Hogmanay and related events.
Hogmanay.net is currently recommended widely across the web, for example, Google.com the search engine that rates sites by the number of incoming links from other independent websites, ranks, Hogmanay.net number one on the web. The site has top listings on all the major search engines. Hogmanay.net is also recommended in the BBC web site guide and the Greenwich millennium site, as the site to visit to find out what is happening in Scotland at Hogmanay. Just ask any of the people who have contributed information to the site, how well it works, that’s probably our best recommendation.
The site has also featured in the New York Times, the Scotsman, The Herald, several Internet magazines, BBC1, and GMTV.
Hogmanay.net team has received awards from all over the world for our efforts to provide a free information service for events in Scotland at Hogmanay. December 2000 Hogmanay.net featured as BBC Online’s pick of the web, which we consider to be one of the highest accolade that any website can receive.
We have an information mailing list in excess of 40,000, which we only use for sending Hogmanay information.
The Home of Hogmanay. www.Hogmanay.net
Given that Scotland has suffered, from a fall in tourism figures due to several catastrophes in the past few years. We aim to try and make this Hogmanay, one of the best. You can help by sending any information of anything that is happening in your area, around Christmas and the New Year.
Anyone having information on any Hogmanay celebration or festivities {irrespective of size or area or country} taking place should send the details to [e-mail] for free posting.
If you are interested in supporting this project, please contact me

John Ritchie at 01875 822694 or …[e-mail]