Mackenzie House, Toronto, Canada
The Mackenzie House, in downtown Toronto, commemorates the city’s Scottish heritage by hosting a party to celebrate the Hogmanay traditions.
To the sound of traditional Scottish music and tasting of some of Scotland’s best traditional recipes, the museum, for the event, will be lit by gas and candlelight.
The Mackenzie House was built in 1857. It is a Georgian-style residence that was given to William Lyon Mackenzie, grandfather of former Canadian Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King, by his followers.
Leader of the colonial emancipation movement in Upper Canada, Mackenzie had come from Scotland in 1820. He became Toronto’s first mayor.
William Lyon Mackenzie - Mayor of Toronto - 1834 and Leader in the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion
There is now a museum inside the Mackenzie House, with costumed guides re-enacting the daily life of Toronto’s middle-class households in the 1860’s.
Probably due to the fact that Christmas was banned in Scotland for a long period of time, the Scots have made New Year’s Eve a very special celebration.
Does the word “Hogmanay” derive from Gaelic oge maidne which means “new morning”, from French “hoguinané“, or maybe from Anglo-Saxon “Haleg Monath” the “Holy Month”? Many theories exists…
What about “Hug me now” ? 🙂
The Auld Alliance between Scotland and France, first recorded in the year 1295, had an influence on the language and customs in Scotland, so the French origin seems to be the most probable one.
HOGMANAY CUSTOMS & TRADITIONS
The Redding
On the day of Hogmanay, the cleaning of the house would take a large part of the day’s activities in order that the New Year be greeted into a neat house, otherwise, it is considered as ill luck to welcome in the New Year upon an uncleaned house.
Inglenooks are swept and polished. Some people would even read the ashes of the last fire of the year, to see what the New Year would hold.
Rowan Tree
The act of cleaning the house in its entirety was called the redding, getting ready for the New Year.
To bring luck and ward off evil spirits, pieces of a rowan tree would be placed above a door. Inside the house, pieces of mistletoe would be hung, not for kissing under like at Christmas, but to prevent illness to the householders.
Pieces of holly would also be placed inside the house to keep away mischievous fairies along with pieces of hazel and yew for their magical powers and to protect the house and inhabitants. After the burning of juniper throughout the house, all the doors would be opened to let in fresh air. Now the house is ready to bring in the New Year.
The Bells
At the first stroke of the chimes at New Year, a moment known as “The Bells!”, people would sing Robert Burns’ s Auld Lang Syne, whilst linking arms.
Scottish Hogmanay Celebrations - Edinburgh
Then, after the bells had rung, people would go to friends and family, or “first footing” as it is known in Scotland, carrying a bottle of whisky to offer, a new year dram. In older days when people could only afford one bottle of spirit’s a year, this bottle would take a place of choice on the mantelpiece or by the fireplace and only opened at the stroke of midnight.
First Footing
The “first foot” of the New Year is the first person to step through your front door. Traditionally, if it was a tall, handsome, black or dark haired man, carrying a lump of coal, it would bring luck to the household. The coal being the symbol that the house would have enough money for fuel all year round.
If it was a red haired person. or a woman to be first to step into the house, it was considered to bring bad luck! Some household made arrangements to choose a first footer prior to Hogmanay Day.
Hogmanay Toasts
Hogmanay New Year Toasts
A traditional Scottish New Year toast:
Lang may yer lum reek!
“Long may your chimney smoke and originated when people had coal fires and if the chimney was smoking it meant that you could afford coal and keep warm”
or this one:
A guid New Year to ane an’ a’ and mony may ye see”
which translates to English as: A good New Year to one and all, and many may you see.
Amazon has a great choice of books on the subject! Just click on the arrows of the widget to see more titles.
Talk soon,
Janice
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