HAPPY HOGMANAY
Hogmanay (pronounced [ˌhɔgməˈneː] — with the main stress on the last syllable - hog-muh-NAY) is the Scots word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the New Year (Gregorian calendar) in the Scottish manner. Its official date is the 31 December. However this is normally only the start of a celebration which lasts through the night until the morning of the 1 January or, in some cases, 2 January which is a Scottish Bank Holiday.
For the uninitiated, it would be good to explain that New Year in Scotland is what Thanksgiving is to Americans. It's the biggest holiday of the year, a huge event that carries over two full days.
Our plans tonight start with a service with friends in a local church. That will run from 10.30 to midnight and then the fun starts with a ceilidh, scheduled to run until 3.00am.
A céilidh (pronounced /ˈkʲʰeːlʲiː/) is the traditional Gaelic social dance in Ireland and Scotland. Other spellings encountered are ceilidh, céilí (Irish reformed spelling) and cèilidh (Scottish Gaelic reformed spelling). Before discos and nightclubs, there were Céilidhs in most town and village halls on Friday or Saturday nights and are still common today. Originally céilidhs facilitated courting and prospects of marriage for young people and, although discos and nightclubs have displaced céilidhs to a considerable extent, they are still an important and popular social outlet in rural parts of Ireland and Scotland, especially in the Gaelic-speaking west coast regions. Céilidhs are sometimes held on a smaller scale in private or public houses, for example in remote rural hinterlands and during busy festivals. It is common for some clubs and institutions such as sports clubs, schools and universities and even employers to arrange céilidhs on a regular or at least annual basis. The formality of these can vary. Some mix modern pop music with a Scottish country dancing band and dress codes range from compulsory highland dress to informal. Knowledge and use of the basic dance steps is not always strictly necessary, and dances often alternate with songs, poetry recitals, story telling and other types of "party pieces".
Céilidh music is provided by any assortment of fiddle, flute, tin whistle, accordion, bodhrán (pronounced /ˈboːrɑːn/ or /ˈbaurɑːn/) (a drumlike instrument, traditionally with a wooden frame covered with stretched goat hide), and in more recent times also drums and electric bass guitar. The music is cheerful and lively, and the basic steps can be learned easily; a short instructional session is often provided for new dancers before the start of the dance itself.
After the ceilidh, the festivities will continue in private homes and while we have several invitations to keep going well into the morning hours, I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll be making an exit before the ceilidh itself is even over.
It will probably be quieter where you are. but Happy Hogmanay anyway and may 2007 be a very special year for you.
For the uninitiated, it would be good to explain that New Year in Scotland is what Thanksgiving is to Americans. It's the biggest holiday of the year, a huge event that carries over two full days.
Our plans tonight start with a service with friends in a local church. That will run from 10.30 to midnight and then the fun starts with a ceilidh, scheduled to run until 3.00am.
A céilidh (pronounced /ˈkʲʰeːlʲiː/) is the traditional Gaelic social dance in Ireland and Scotland. Other spellings encountered are ceilidh, céilí (Irish reformed spelling) and cèilidh (Scottish Gaelic reformed spelling). Before discos and nightclubs, there were Céilidhs in most town and village halls on Friday or Saturday nights and are still common today. Originally céilidhs facilitated courting and prospects of marriage for young people and, although discos and nightclubs have displaced céilidhs to a considerable extent, they are still an important and popular social outlet in rural parts of Ireland and Scotland, especially in the Gaelic-speaking west coast regions. Céilidhs are sometimes held on a smaller scale in private or public houses, for example in remote rural hinterlands and during busy festivals. It is common for some clubs and institutions such as sports clubs, schools and universities and even employers to arrange céilidhs on a regular or at least annual basis. The formality of these can vary. Some mix modern pop music with a Scottish country dancing band and dress codes range from compulsory highland dress to informal. Knowledge and use of the basic dance steps is not always strictly necessary, and dances often alternate with songs, poetry recitals, story telling and other types of "party pieces".
Céilidh music is provided by any assortment of fiddle, flute, tin whistle, accordion, bodhrán (pronounced /ˈboːrɑːn/ or /ˈbaurɑːn/) (a drumlike instrument, traditionally with a wooden frame covered with stretched goat hide), and in more recent times also drums and electric bass guitar. The music is cheerful and lively, and the basic steps can be learned easily; a short instructional session is often provided for new dancers before the start of the dance itself.
After the ceilidh, the festivities will continue in private homes and while we have several invitations to keep going well into the morning hours, I have a sneaking suspicion that we'll be making an exit before the ceilidh itself is even over.
It will probably be quieter where you are. but Happy Hogmanay anyway and may 2007 be a very special year for you.
posted by Roger Blackmore | 4:12 PM
<< Home