Whoever finds a … There is no doubt the tree was held sacred by the people of the UK and beyond. It's also a time to celebrate with family and friends, and share the spirit of giving during the holidays. One of the Scottish Christmas traditions that was banned for so many years included the baking of Yule bread. A loaf of unleavened bread is baked for each individual in the family, and the person who finds a trinket in his or her loaf will have good luck all year. Brightly coloured decorations would be hung on a pine tree to symbolise the various stellar objects, which were of tremendous significance to the Celtic people – the sun, moon, and stars – and also to represent the souls of those who had died in the previous year. People put presents under the tree and leave mince pies for Father Christmas on Christmas Eve. Cover with a lid and decoct, simmering for around 20 mins. What is common in most solstice tradition is that this time of year is about coming together and remembering the past. In this episode, Annie and Jenny take a festive Yuletide jaunt around Christmas time traditions in Scotland. She was deadly pale and wore clothes rustling like dry dead leaves. You need a small handful for one cup. Yule time traditions date far back to the Druids and Pagans. 11022198. He was afraid that the world was returning to the chaos and emptiness that existed before creation, so he fasted. (1890) Cornish Feasts and Folklore. One of these is joined back together with a big nail, filled with flammable material, and lit on fire. Cut of the twigs into smaller pieces and place them in the now boiling water. You never have to put out the bins, queue for milk at the supermarket or worry about the … You can see this idea echoed in the poem by Robert Herrick (1591 – 1674): ‘With last year’s brand The reason for this practice is to aid charity. 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. 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. Evolved from Pagan celebrations of Yule, Hogmanay is observed just before the New Year. A contest between Northenders and Southenders would then start, each team tugging and pulling their side. This ‘saved’ part of the log was said to protect houses from burning down and if kept under the bed was even said to protect from chilblains. Get a Yule kebbuck – a special cheese flavoured with caraway seed. Sae Jock maun to his flail again Decorating the tree, eating too much, exchanging gifts and most importantly spending time with our families. Prior to the Reformation of 1560, Christmas in Scotland, then called Yule (alternative spellings include Yhoill, Yuil, Ȝule and Ȝoull; see Yogh), was celebrated in a similar fashion to the rest of Catholic Europe. Creating a way for you to bring a little of the trees magic into your pantry. This was a time when the ordinary rules were turned upside down. In some parts of Scotland seaweed may be used instead of rowan! 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. In Ireland the tree was burnt to banish the Devil, and may be why it features as a Yule log. Many of the Scottish traditions are rooted in the customs of ancient Celtic culture and the Roman Catholic Church practices. Plant lore is the verdant heart of Scottish folk holidays and traditions. On Christmas … Sometimes the log was decorated with evergreens and only brought into the house on Christmas Eve. If you’d like to help keep #FolkloreThursday going, do check out our Patreon page to pledge a small monthly amount to tell us you think #FolkloreThursday is great! In Irish (Gaelic) Nollaig Shona Duit means 'Happy Christmas to you.' Over the centuries, pagan Celtic customs merged with Christianity to produce some unique traditions for the winter festival. 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. There are a couple of ideas I’d like to share with you. ‘When the hallow days o Yule were come Not only for the light and warmth but also to keep alive a tradition with roots far deeper than any tree. A loaf of unleavened bread is baked for each individual in the family, and the person who finds a trinket in his or her loaf will have good luck all year. And the nichts were lang and mirk Whatever the exact origins of the rituals we practice this festive season, it does seem that there has been a growth of interest in traditional religions and practices. Courtney, M.A. Bake some Yule bannocks. Nowadays, we tend to think of Yule as a single day. • Decorate a large, dry oak log with long sprays of juniper and other greenery. Christmas spirit, a potent blend of being kind and nice to others, is what we require the most now. After 20 mins you will have a nice brown brew with maybe a little oil floating on the surface. In Scotland, before the arrival of Christianity, on the solstice, Celtic priests would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. Vikings began raiding Scotland in the late 700s AD.They later settled, bringing their own way pre-Christian way of celebrating the Winter Solstice, which they referred to as Jól (which became known as Yule in Scotland).Yule was celebrated for at least 12 days, and is believed to have been a way of honouring ancestors in the darkest time of the year. light the new block, Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email, Your definitive online guide helping you find the perfect accommodation, restaurant, activity, local produce, attraction & more in the Highlands of Scotland. On your psalters pray They were known to bring greenery like Mistletoe into the house to be hung and encourage fertility (you can see where the kissing tradition came in!). Not only does this help the over-all fitness of the Nation but helps raise valuable amounts for good causes. Food shortages were common during the first months of the winter, so this festival was the last celebration before deep winter began. Necromancy and the dead are very common in Scottish folk magic, which you can read more about here. Though Scotland hasn't always celebrated Christmas enthusiastically it does have an interesting selection of festive traditions. Traditional medicine of the highlands and islands. Christmas traditions in Scotland. Similarly, in parts of Somerset, Ashen Faggot Night was celebrated, where ash replaced the birch. Or so the story goes. Christmas is cancelled! Chalmers, R. (1870) Popular Rhymes of Scotland. Baker, M (1980) Discovering the Folklore of Plants. Scottish tradition diner along with Scottish stuffing has never been made with sausage meat and especially YOU MUST NEVER use Sage and Onion, this is an English tradition. Why Scotland should once again celebrate the traditional end of Christmas (in February) – Stephen Jardine scotsman.com - Stephen Jardine. This idea is reflected in names like Nollaig mhòr, ‘Big Christmas’ – given to Christmas Day – and Nollag bheag, ‘Little Christmas’ or ‘New Year’s Day’. Wil . The years worth of soot was said to be ‘soot for the de’ils breakfast’ and served to the de’il or devil on Yule morning. He is an academic and an animistic folk practitioner (of sorts) writing primarily for. Master and servant alike would drink from the good stock. 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. A convenient reminder that, despite the vast changes taking place in our world today, some things will always endure, always link back to the past. I have to say I don't think we make as much of this as I think we should. Elements of Yuletide traditions in Scotland are the same in other Celtic countries, but Scotland has those particular to the country. A conventional Christmas lunch includes Scotch broth, smoked salmon, roast turkey, roast potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts, Christmas pudding and brandy custard. Scottish traditions have their roots deep-set in history, and the Highland Games have been around for over a thousand years, perhaps even longer. Polygon. Scottish traditions have their roots deep-set in history, and the Highland Games have been around for over a thousand years, perhaps even longer. We take a look at the almost completely lost highland tradition of the Clach an Groait stone, the world famous Orkney Ba tournament, and an old lady and her festive pig. Leave the lid on. The ancient Romans also held a solstice festival at this time, called Saturnalia, to celebrate the rebirth of the year. It was built at around the same time and its architecture clearly links it to the solstice tradition. In the town of Burghead, Moray, an ancient tradition called "burning the clavie" takes place each year on January 11. (Interestingly a figure of a man was chalked in a similar fashion in Cornwall). A’ wheest in the daurk we savour oor love.” Beare. Today folks still whip themselves with birch twigs after a sauna, some say to increase fertility, others suggest it drives away evil spirits. Swimming the Loony Dook - quite possibly the looniest Scottish New Year tradition. In Somerset, there is a legend where ‘the one with the white hand’ (a birch it is believed) was a spirit haunting Taunton Moorland. And we have feasted weel Penzance. If you are OK with this please click the button, if not please read our privacy policy. This ‘sacrifice’ helped keep death at bay until next Yule. Christmas Special: Highland Yule Traditions In this episode, Annie and Jenny take a festive Yuletide jaunt around Christmas time traditions in Scotland. 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. Viking Yule. The birch is a tree often associated with death. Some folk gently roast the twigs, which is said to make the brew a little sweeter. the Yule log crackles oan this Christmas Nicht, With the advent of Christianity, the Yule log tradition continued, albeit on a smaller scale. The tree had to be gathered secretly from someone’s garden without them noticing or knowing. Celtic and Druidic Priests In Scotland, before the arrival of Christianity, on the solstice, Celtic priests would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. Those that did were destined to die. However, the Reformation transformed attitudes to traditional Christian feasting days, including Christmas, and led in practice to the abolition of festival day… The gathering of the Yule log was announced with much drama and mirth. Amazingly, this dour, joy-crushing attitude lasted for 400 years. At one time guisers were as common at New Year as they were at Halloween. We coorie thegither, my wife an’ I, Evil Spurn The modern practice of gift giving evolved from the tradition of hanging gifts on the tree as offerings to various Gods and Goddesses. If you didn’t, the cattle would suffer come the following year, or so folk believed. Traditionally the Yule bannock and other dishes should be cooked over the heat from the Yule log burning in the hearth throughout the festive time. 2nd ed. Divination was once a popular custom. It was traditional to offer gifts of imitation fruit (a symbol of fertility), dolls (symbolic of the custom of human sacrifice), and candles (reminiscent of the bonfires traditionally associated with pagan solstice celebrations). A webcam has been installed that will broadcast live images for those that cannot make the journey there themselves. – Popular Rhymes in Scotland. A toast would be raised to the snapping of bands, and the festivities would continue. Following the Reformation, however, these traditional celebrations became frowned upon. Wheel turn St Andrews Day - is celebrated on 30th November every year. There are many perks to being a member of the Royal Family. People who describe themselves as new-age or spiritual seekers have rediscovered the rituals of the ancients and have attempted to celebrate in a way that connects them to the past. Oaks were seen as sacred and the winter fruit of the mistletoe was a symbol of life in the dark winter months. Keeping Christmas cake or the remains of the Yule Log under the bed was also thought to help get rid of chilblains. Find a birch tree and take off some of the small twigs found at the edge of the branches. Company registered in England & Wales, no. In Lincolnshire, the female ash (called sheder) would protect against male witches. 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. In this episode, Annie and Jenny take a festive Yuletide jaunt around Christmas time traditions in Scotland. One of the modern traditions in Scotland is charity runs. Then in and came her ain twa sons Others say it might be a way or propitiating the spirits, like ‘knocking on wood for luck’, or perhaps reminiscent of earlier sacrifices carried out at this time of year. The log was carried into the house on Christmas Eve not please read our privacy policy importance Scotland! 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