In this article I am going to write about Christmas in Scotland. In Scotland Christmas traditionally was not celebrated, because of religious reasons. The Church of Scotland was against the celebration of Christmas. As a consequence, Christmas Day was a normal working day in Scotland until the 1960s and even into the 1970s in some areas. But nowadays, Christmas in Scotland is a time for celebration because it's the birthday of Jesus. Decoration is very important and most houses are decorated with Christmas trees and different decorations. Children at this time often start to make Christmas lists, which are lists of the presents they want, like in the Basque Country with Olentzero. In the evening, they leave out a small glass of whisky or milk for Santa. But the most important celebration in Scotland is Hogmanay. It is the Scots word of the last day of the year, and it is celebrated on the night of the 31 December, until the morning of New Year's Day (1 January). Each area of Scotland often had different Hogmanay ritual. An example of a local Hogmanay custom is the performance with fire that takes place in Stonehaven. In Glasgow and the central areas of Scotland, the tradition is to celebrate Hogmanay parties involving singing, dancing, the eating traditional products and consumption of important amounts of alcohol, which usually is extend until the morning of January 1.
One of the most spread national custom is the practice of "first-footing" which starts immediately after midnight. This involves being the first person to cross the entrance of the house of a friend or neighbour and often involves the giving of symbolic products such as salt (less common today), coal, whisky, and black bun (a rich fruit cake) intended to bring different things of luck to the neighbour. The Hogmanay customs of singing "Auld Lang Syne" has become common in many countries.These songs are traditional songs like the Hator Hator in the Basque Country. These are the main characteristics of Chrismas in Scotland and I think that they have a very interesting culture.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
