New Year’s Eve or Hogmanay as it is called in Scotland, is an incredible experience and makes for a very good reason to visit the country in winter. Wild parties and fireworks are everywhere as the streets are filled with revellers which attract people from all over the world.
My family are all from Scotland. However, my father’s job took him to Northern Ireland where I was born and grew up. Hogmanay was always a big event in our house, and I will never forget my father knocking on the door at midnight with a lump of coal in his hand and with the ships in Coleraine harbour all sounding their horns in the background. This is called ‘first footing’; the lump of coal is symbolic and is supposed to bring you good luck and prosperity for the coming year.
I have never been to Scotland for the New Year. However, this year my husband and I decided to visit Edinburgh, and for me, this was an emotional visit as I wanted to be a part of this experience that I had heard so much about growing up. Here some photographs and the highlights of my New Years’ experience in Edinburgh.
After a rough sea-crossing, we checked into our hotel and immediately hit the streets to partake in the excitement that you could feel everywhere in the city. We stopped for some lunch of traditional haggis, neeps and tatties, which my husband was a little unsure of, and which he loved.
On every corner, there seemed to be a bagpipe player, and this stirred fond memories as I recalled my brother playing the bagpipes when I was a child. To this day the sound of bagpipes makes me emotional as they remind me of the family who are no longer with me and so far, our trip to Edinburgh was everything I could have wished for.
New Year’s Eve or Hogmanay as it is called in Scotland is an incredible experience and makes for a very good reason to visit Scotland in winter. Wild parties and fireworks are everywhere as the streets are filled with revellers which attract people from all over the world.
The New Year celebrations officially start on the 30th December here in Edinburgh. Tonight at 7.00 pm thousands of people took to the streets for this fantastic torchlight procession which created a ‘river of fire’ down the Royal Mile. This was an amazing build-up to the events which would take place tomorrow night, and it ended with a huge firework display.
Today is the big day, but there was something I wanted to see before we started getting ready for the celebrations. I had grown up with the story about Bobby, the loyal dog who would not leave his masters grave after he died. I cried many a tear every time I saw the movie, and I went to see for myself the monument that was dedicated to this famous little dog.
New Year’s Eve or Hogmanay as it is called in Scotland is an incredible experience and makes for a very good reason to visit Scotland in winter. Wild parties and fireworks are everywhere as the streets are filled with revellers which attract people from all over the world.
Tonight is the big night, and we had been advised not to go out until around 9 pm and to dress warmly, which we did. I had layers over layers. Princes Street is the place to be on New Year’s Eve, and this is where we found ourselves. With Edinburgh Castle in the background and live music on giant screens everywhere, the atmosphere of this huge street party was amazing.
On the stroke of midnight, the whole city lit up, and everyone joined hands to sing that famous Scottish man, Robert Burns’s song, 'Auld Lang Syne'.
It is said that this is one of the greatest events on the planet and I have to agree, it really is! I now have a better understanding as to why my parents made New Year’s Eve a bigger occasion than Christmas Day.
Tomorrow (well today) we will be saying goodbye to Edinburgh and travel to Glasgow, where we are going to celebrate with relatives and probably attend another street party.