Hogmanay

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Hogmanay
Hogmanay in Edinburgh
Offeecial nameHogmanay
Observed biScots
TeepNational
SigneeficanceThe final day o the Gregorian calendar
CelebrationsReflection; late-night pairtying; faimily gatherins; feasting; gift exchanges; firewarks; coontdoons; watchnicht services; social gaitherins, durin whilk fowk micht dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, an watch or licht firewarks
Date31 December
FrequencyAnnual
Relatit taeNe'er's Day

Hogmanay is a Scottish haliday that faws on 31 December, the hindermaist day o the year. The nicht o Hogmanay stairts the lang celebration o the new year o the Gregorian calender, wi twa baunk halidays follaein, for ordinar on 1 an 2 Januar.

The oreegins o Hogmanay ar unclear but it micht derive frae Gaelic an Norse observances. Customs vary athort Scotland, an fur usual include gift exchangin an peyin visits tae friends an faimily, wi speicial attention bein gien tae the first-fitter, the first body throu the door in the New Year.

Etymology[eedit | eedit soorce]

The oreegin o the wird is obscure. The aerliest proponed etymology wis in 1693 in the Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence that the wird is a corruption o the Greek agía míne (αγία μήνη), or "haly month".[1] The three main modren theories pit it forrit as bein aither a French, Gaelic or Norse ruit.

The wird is first recordit in a Latin entry in 1443 in the Wast Ridin o Yorkshire as hagnonayse.[2] The first kythin in Inglis came in 1604 in the records o Elgin, as hagmonay.[3] Forder 17t-yearhunner spellins include Hagmena (1677),[2] Hogmynae night (1681),[2] an Hagmane (1693) in an entry o the Scotch Presbyterian Eloquence.[1][4]

Awtho Hogmanay is the dominant spellin an pronoonciation, mony variations o the name hae been recordit, includin:[5]

wi the first syllable various being /hɔg/, /hog/, /hʌg/, /hʌug/ or /haŋ/.

French etymology[eedit | eedit soorce]

It micht hae come intae Middle Scots frae French. The maist common citit ensaumple is that it comes frae the northren French byleidal wird hoguinané, or variants sic as hoginane, hoginono an hoguinettes, thon wirds comin frae the 16t yearhunner Middle French aguillanneuf meanin aither a gift gien at New Year, a bairn's cry for sic a gift, or New Year's Eve itsel.[5][6]

'Auld Lang Syne'[eedit | eedit soorce]

The Hogmanay prattick o singin 'Auld Lang Syne' haes become common in mony kintras. 'Auld Lang Syne' is a tradeetional poem reinterpretit by Robert Burns, that wis syne pitten tae muisic. It is nou common for this tae be sung in a circle o cleekit airms that's crosst ower ane anither as the knock chaps midnicht for Ne'er's Day, awtho in Scotland the tradeetional practice is tae cross airms anerly for the last verse.[7]

References[eedit | eedit soorce]

  1. a b Crokatt, Gilbert; Monroe, John (1738) [First published 1693]. Scotch Presbyterian eloquence display'd. Rotterdam: J. Johnson. p. 120. It is ordinary among some plebeians in the South of Scotland to go about from door to door upon New-years Eve, crying Hagmane, a corrupted Word from the Greek αγια μηνη, which signifies the Holy Month.
  2. a b c "hogmanay, n.". OED Online. December 2014. Oxford University Press. (accessed 22 December 2014).
  3. "delatit to haue been singand hagmonayis on Satirday"
  4. a b c d e f g h "Hagmane". Dictionary of the Scots Language. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
  5. a b c d e f Robinson, Mairi (ed) The Concise Scots Dictionary (1985) The Scottish National Dictionary Association ISBN 0-08-028491-4
  6. Campbell, John Gregorson (1900, 1902, 2005) The Gaelic Otherworld. Edited by Ronald Black. Edinburgh, Birlinn Ltd. ISBN 1-84158-207-7 p. 575: "'Hogmanay' is French in origin. In northern French dialect it was hoguinané, going back to Middle French aguillaneuf, meaning a gift given on New Year's eve or the word cried out in soliciting it."
  7. Queen stays at arm's length, Lancashire Evening Telegraph, 5 Januar 2000.