Hogmanay: Scotland’s New Year Celebration Inherited From The Vikings

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - On December 31, Scotland celebrates Hogmanay. It’s a very old tradition, and the celebrations continue into the first couple of days of January. Many local areas have their own customs for celebrating Hogmanay, which are all spectacular!

Traditional Hogmanay celebrations were originally brought to Scotland by the invading Vikings in the early 8th and 9th centuries.

The New Year is still called Yule, derived from the Scandinavian word for the midwinter festival. The long history of Viking and Norse settlement in Scotland is the reason why these two nations share many ancient traditions.

Where Did The Word Hogmanay Come From?

The origin of the word "Hogmanay" is unknown. Many theories have been put forward, and opinions differ as to whether the word originated from the Gaelic oge maidne ("New Morning"), Anglo-Saxon Haleg Monath ("Holy Month"), or the Norman French word hoguinané, which was derived from the Old French anguillanneuf ("gift at New Year")

It has also been suggested that it came from the French au gui mener ("lead to the mistletoe") or a Flemish combo hoog ("high" or "great"), min ("love" or "affection") and dag ("day").

Hogmanay consists of several ancient traditions that are still practiced today.

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