|
|
Article: Why we get fired up for the new year; As Scotland gears up for its biggest annual bash, we look at the roots of Hogmanay - and the many traditions associated with it.(Features)
- Article from:
- Daily Record (Glasgow, Scotland)
- Article date:
- December 29, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Scottish Daily Record & Sunday. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
WHILE New Year's Eve is celebrated around the world, Scotland has a long and rich heritage associated with the event that we call Hogmanay.
It is often assumed that the Scots invented the name "Hogmanay". However, there are many conflicting theories about the origin of the word.
The Scandinavian word for the feast preceding Yule was "Hoggo-nott", while the Flemish phrase "hoog min dag" means "great love day".
Hogmanay could also be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon "haleg month", or holy month - or the Gaelic "oge maidne", which means "new morning".
But the most ...