Hogmanay and New Year Greeting…

Tomorrow we celebrate New Year’s Day in Scotland which is something our friends also celebrate around the world, albeit not always on the same date. Throughout the years it has become customary in Scotland to ‘First-foot’ your friends and neighbours on Hogmanay, which is what we Scots call New Years Eve……when the first people visit your house after the bell strokes 12pm on New Year’s Eve, then it is said that they will bring luck to you for the rest of the year.

Traditionally those first-footers should bring a coin, bread, salt, a lump of coal and whisky with them for everyone to enjoy on New Year’s Day.  Often visitors are greeted and welcomed in with a handshake and a kiss on the cheek and then the party gets started and lasts into the wee small hours.  It is also said the best and most luckiest first-footer is a tall, dark, handsome man.   I’m always a popular guest but more because I always come with a bottle of whisky in hand!

However, I like to think of myself as a well travelled gent, so I was keen to find out from my friends across the globe how they would be celebrating on New Years eve, starting with a quick phonecall to Willie Cochrane over on Jura.

Willie told me that that the celebrations mainly take place in the village hall with music and dancing into the early hours.  The Jura Hotel is also open but closes early to give people time to get down to the village hall or back home in time for the Bells at 12 o’clock.  Willie also told me that the celebrations and first-footing takes place all week long so maybe I should think about getting myself and Mrs Paterson over this year for an extended New Year break in the Jura lodge.

I then contacted our man Aidan in Australia, as they are of course one of the first places to bring in the New Year.  He told me that while we are all up to our elbows in snow (if we’re lucky, more normally rain and wind) over in Scotland, they would be down on the beach with their mates having a BBQ and playing cricket.  No stereotypes there then (but you cant help thinking they will be ‘throwing another shrimp on the barbie’ whilst enjoying a refreshing beer or two)! 

In Sydney they enjoy a grand fireworks display that lights up the harbour in beautiful colours.  Apparently the display is so amazing that people camp out for days to get the best viewing spots, so it really must be a sight to behold.

Over to Spain now, to our friend Veronica who celebrates New Year by eating grapes!  Whilst in Scotland we think it’s lucky to first-foot, Spaniards bring themselves luck by eating 12 grapes – a grape for every chime of the clock come midnight.  And then after partying the night away, it’s time for a further snack at 6am when they enjoy chocolate con churros, which is a breakfast treat made mainly from flour and eggs which is then dipped in melted chocolate.  Veronica also tells me it’s is lucky to wear red underwear on New Year, which apparently has to be bought by someone else.  I already received mine from Santa so I’m sorted in that department!

Over in Russia, my friend Anna tells me they like to write their wishes on a piece of paper and then burn it on a candle.  The ash is then mixed in with champagne and drunk to bring good luck. Karine over in France, also tells us that they like to enjoy a selection of champagne, caviar and cheese along with champagne.  However I cant help thinking that if they were to make their wish with a whisky  it would bring them even more luck!

And then lastly onto Chinese New Year which of course follows the traditional Chinese calendar and is celebrated in January or February depending on how the calendar falls.  This, much like Willie’s celebration on Jura, lasts more than one night and is in fact celebrated for 15 days and ends with the Lantern Festival which sees the skies light up with beautiful paper lanterns.  The traditions vary but cleaning the house and to sweep away ill-fortune is something that is commonly practices.  As is filling your house with red decorations as red of course is a lucky colour for the Chinese.

The Chinese New Year is celebrated all over the world and Aidan over in Oz  tells me that they Chinese-Australian community host a number of wonderful events to celebrate the arrival of the New Year.  The Great Dragon appears in Melbourne after having been aoken with a ceremony of offering to the Gods.  It then dances through the streets in a ‘lion dance’ helped by 200 people who carry the dragon on its journey.

I find it fascinating to learn how other people bring luck to themselves and others in the New Year. Do let me know via the blog or the Whyte & Mackay facebook page,  how you will be celebrating or how you have celebrated New Year.

And finally, as we prepare to say ‘hello, how are you?’ to a New Year, let me take this opportunity to wish all the Whyte & Mackay fans out there the best of luck for 2012. Thank you for your friendship, comments, tweets and warm, warm greetings from all across the planet.