Nobody knows for sure where the word “Hogmanay” came from. Opinions differ as to whether it originated from the Gaelic oge maidne (“New Morning”), Anglo-Saxon Haleg Monath (“Holy Month”), or Norman French word hoguinané, which was derived from the Old French anguillanneuf (“gift at New Year”). It’s 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”). Take your pick.

Hogmanay’s roots reach back to the anamistic practice of sun and fire worship in the deep mid-Winter. This evolved into the ancient Saturnalia, a great Roman Winter festival, where people celebrated completely free of restraint and inhibition. The Vikings celebrated Yule, which became the twelve days of christmas, or the “Daft Days” as they became known in Scotland. The Winter festival went underground with the Reformation and ensuing years, but re-emerged at the end of the 17th Century.

The tradition of ‘first footing’ holds that your new year will be a prosperous one if, at the strike of midnight, a “tall, dark stranger” appears at your door with a lump of coal for the fire, or a cake or coin. In exchange, you offered him food, wine or a wee dram of whisky, or the traditional Het Pint, which is a combination of ale, nutmeg and whisky. It’s been sugggsted that the fear associated with blond strangers arose from the memory of blond-haired Viking’s raping and pillaging Scotland circa 4th to 12th centuries.

New Year’s Eve or Hogmanay has always been celebrated throughout the UK with get togethers and parties but in recent years it has reached new levels of revellery. Edinburgh and Glasgow both have huge street parties which are ticketed events, with a range of musical acts.

Extracted with thanks from www.hogmanay.net

The Henley Royal Regatta started in 1839 and has been ‘royal’ since H.R.H. Prince Albert became the Regatta’s first Royal Patron in 1851. The Queen is now the patron.

On this day every year we have a community walk around the village boundaries, called ‘Beating the Bounds’. It is a revival of an old medieval custom whereby the boundaries of the parish were re-established. The course around our village is about 10 miles (the agony!) and takes us over fields, through blue bell woods and across the river Avon in a rather small boat!

To find out more about the history and process of making Whisky visit Scotand: Whisky and Distilleries

By the way, this is great day out. There are lots of falconry’s across the country. It might seem cruel to keep these birds of prey in cages but sitting on a perch doing nothing is what they like best. We like to think that birds soar above us for pleasure but the reality is they fly only when they need to. If the weather is cold or windy it’s the last thing they want to -such hard work!

This three day festival of music, dancing and street theatre takes place over the May Day bank holiday weekend.

By the Middle Ages every English village had its Maypole. The bringing in of the Maypole from the woods was a great occasion and was accompanied by much rejoicing and merrymaking.

Read the whole May Day story