Ireland's OWN: Myths and Magic

Hogmanay:
The Scottish New Year Festival
—by Míchealín Ní Dhochartaigh

31 December is the Scottish New Year festival of Hogmanay. Its name commemorates the solar divinity Hogmagog. As Gogmagog, this solar giant was formerly a chalk-cut hill figure in Wandlebury, close to Cambridge, while, divided into two giants, Gog and Magog, he is the spiritual guardian of the city of London.

The traditional Hogmanay ceremonies involved dressing the hides of cattle and running around the village being hit by stick. Hogmanay festivities include the lighting of bonfires, rolling blazing tar barrels and tossing blazing torches.

Animal hide was wrapped around sticks and ignited, a practice that was said to ward off evil spirits. The talismanic smoking stick eventually came to be called the Hogmanay.

Black buns, shortbread and ankersocks (gingerbread loaves made with rye meal) are eaten on this night.

Also, a shaman would often dress in animal skins, with horns or antlers on his head. At the moment of the New Year, doors and windows were opening to let out the old year, household utensils were banged to ward off any remaining psychic vestiges of the old year. In Wales, the banging of utensils was done to drive off Cwn Annwn, the phantom black dogs of the underworld that pass through the air on New Year's eve.

Get up, good wife, and shake your feathers,
and dinna think that we are beggars;
For we are bairns come out to play,
Get up and gie us our Hogmanay.

Sources:

Campanelli, P. and Campanelli, D. Ancient Ways, Llewellyn Publications, 1999.
Campanelli, P. and Campanelli, D. Wheel of the Year, Living the Magical Life, Llewellyn Publications, 2000.
Morrison, D. The Craft, Llewellyn Worldwide, 2002.
Pennick, Nigel. The Pagan Book of Days, Destiny Books, 2001.