Today’s the day again when relationships between Scots and English can be strained and all because there is a fairly strict protocol which the former insist should at least be attempted by the latter.
Seen as the biggest folly of those of an English persuasion is that we Scots do not celebrate Hogmanay, which is the name we have for today, December 31. Nobody really knows how it got this name – it’s either ancient Greek, denoting “holy month”, or from long ago French, Norse, Gaelic, Latin or the West Riding of Yorkshire, according to one, probably unreliable, source.
Whatever, I have always found it mildly irritating to be wished “Happy New Year” on this, the wrong day. There is nothing to be especially happy about today. After all, in my experience Hogmanay is, or should be, a period of intense preparation for the real celebration – tomorrow, New Year’s Day, January 1, 2026.
And, as the hours and minutes tick onwards towards midnight – and “the Bells” everywhere ringing out the Old Year – there’s a feeling, certainly in my case, of nervousness that’s hard to put a finger on. Unease about the future in an endlessly troubled world perhaps and, for once in my recent lifetime, precious little to be optimistic about.
Family and friends will help me banish the gloom and never better than when Big Ben’s bongs bring in 2026 but, in my case, it will be accompanied by a whispered: “Please God make it better than what we’re leaving behind.”
But to get back to the protocol, never wish someone “Happy New Year” while it’s still 2025 unless you add the words “… when it comes.” That, in my estimation, is the most important of rules as it captures perfectly the unique magic of New Year’s Day. Don’t jump the gun. Instead, wait for it to arrive, bringing with it, who knows what?
There’s any amount of other paraphernalia that used to accompany the New Year celebrations and with which I grew up but which, sad to say, are nowadays seen less and less. Top of this fast disappearing list is the custom of First Footing – being the first person to step over the threshold of a neighbour or friend; if that person is “tall and dark”, they are more likely to bring luck for the coming year.
Needless to say, any “first foots” would be expected to have brought small gifts. These should be, in no particular order, something to drink – a dram, usually of whisky, for the host; something to eat – traditionally a bit of shortbread but nowadays often some sweets; and last but not least, something to heat the house – hence, it’s usually a lump of coal, or a log, for the fire … even if that’s usually superfluous nowadays.
Traditions like these are dying and dying quickly. Few people nowadays would welcome uninvited guests into their home in the middle of the night but that whole business of First Footing will be sadly missed if it ever disappears completely.
It may be derided as corny and old fashioned but it speaks of a time when the value of community was understood, when, unlike today, neighbours actually knew and helped each other.
Is there any chance of these traits making a comeback? Why not? Isn’t anything possible in this supposed golden age of Artificial Intelligence?
Happy New Year … when it comes!
