HOGMANAY- (Scottish)
Hogmanay is the Scottish word, for the last day of the year. This holiday starts off December 31st only to reach it's peak at midnight (which is technically the start of the new year). So in general it starts early in the evening on that last day of December. Exactly at midnight, they ring bells and sing old folk songs as the play the bag pipes. As these goes on people are making wishes and dancing around it celebration of the new year. One song they sing is "Auld Lang Syne". It ensures them that they will have plenty of good wishes. This festival will last all day long. The only thing is depending on where someone is in Scotland the activities are a little bit different. Things vary from dancing, singing, torch light processions, the swinging of fireballs. This celebration goes back to to the viking days. The roots were found in the pagan practice of the sun worship and fire worship, during the dark months of the winter. As time went on it became the celebration of '"Saturnalia" when people celebrate without any restraint. The vikings happened to celebrate their own version of this festival it goes by the name of 'Yule' which over time become 'Daft Days' better yet known as the twelve days of Christmas. During the festival the fire symbolism is profound, and to them it stands for a number of things. The variations are shinning light on to a new thing or to view something in a better way. Different people take the light as different things.