NEWS

Each December the Saint Andrew Society of Carolina holds a “First Footin’” celebration at the Rural Hill historic site near Huntersville. This tradition harks back to Scotland’s Hogmanay (Hog-muh-nay), celebrated on New Year’s Day.

In the latter half of the sixteenth century, following the Protestant Reformation in Scotland, the church felt it was irreverent to mark important religious dates with festivals and celebrations. Thus, the usual merriment surrounding Christmas was frowned upon. In response, the Scots began to celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day with a new holiday, one which extended to the north of England.

One of Hogmanay’s traditions was that of a “first footin.’”  According to this tradition, if a young, tall, dark-haired man was the first to cross the doorstep on the New Year, the coming year would be a

(First Footin’. Image from scottishatheart.com)

prosperous one. This was especially true if he came bearing gifts, such as coal for the fire or a bottle of whiskey with which to toast his host. His toast, “Lang may your lum reek,” meaning “long may your chimney smoke,” wishes the host long life and prosperity. Another tradition is to walk the limits of the town to reclaim its boundaries. Rural Hill does this with a 2.25-mile walk around the ground.

There are several other traditions surrounding Hogmanay. One is called “Redding the House” (readying or tidying up the house) and involved cleaning the entire house to get ready for the new year. This included sweeping the ashes; some even read them as one would read tea leaves. Following the cleaning, the house was purified by a smoking juniper branch to chase out any evil spirits.

My father was partly of Scots descent, and the phrase “red up your room” was a frequent Saturday morning request. Gifts were also exchanged, perhaps an attempt to fold the old winter solstice celebrations into Hogmanay. Later the song “Auld Lang Syne,” whose lyrics were transcribed by Robert Burns from an old Scottish song, became a tradition at Hogmanay celebrations. ( Auld Lang Syne: John Masey Wright, John Rogers, Robert Burns.)

Present-day Scots still celebrate the new year with street parties, bonfires, torchlight processions, and the singing of “Auld Lang Syne.”  Americans adopted the song for their celebration during the 1920s.

Rural Hill is not the only place in North Carolina where Hogmanay is celebrated. During December, the museum in High Point recreates the holiday with open-fire cooking of venison and “neeps and tatties” (turnips and potatoes), accompanied by the sound of bagpipes.

Other celebrations take place in Holly Springs, Beaufort, and several other North Carolina towns. So those of you of Scots descent might try replacing “Happy New Year” with “Happy Hogmanay!”

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A retired archives and special collections librarian, Nancy Griffith lived in Davidson from 1979 until 1989. She and her husband, John, returned to Davidson in 2015. She is the author of numerous books and articles on Arkansas and South Carolina history, as well as a book revealing Davidson history, “Ada Jenkins: The Heart of the Matter,” about the Ada Jenkins school and center.