New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
The old year must end for the new one to begin; in the Nordic and Celtic tradition, this must be done with a lot of light and merriment. New Year’s Eve in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland derives from ancient festivals. It is the passage to the new kind of world, beneath the boundary of midnight. In Ireland, it bears the Celtic names of Oíche Chinn Bliana, Oíche na Coda Móire, or Oíche Chaille, and it is mainly a family celebration. The Brits call it simply New Year’s Eve, with the exception of Scots, who hold their folkloristic Hogmanay festivities. December 31 falls on the seventh day of Christmastide, and some countries call it the Day of Saint Sylvester. It originated as both a religious and folkloristic occasion, but nowadays it is neither.
Nobody knows whether it is the Roman Natalis Invicti, Celtic Samhain, or Nordic Yule that New Year’s Eve draws from; all had probably contributed to its inception. Regardless, the observance before 1752 used to fall in the middle of March in England. Only after Gregorian calendar has been adopted, New Year’s Eve celebrations are moved to December 31. They were not approved by orthodox Christians, who regarded all loud festivities with alcohol as abomination. That is why until the 20th century, the holiday had not been a popular and developed occurrence. Thanks to the American Times Square ball drop in 1907, New Year’s parties became worldwide; by then, however, the Scots had already known and recognized Hogmanay, their special New Year celebration. The United Kingdom has improved upon the New Year’s Eve festivities a lot since, but the citizens of Ireland mostly chose to uphold the family tradition of the holiday.
The most prominent events on December 31 in Ireland take place in Dublin, where New Year’s Eve parades, concerts and fireworks are displayed. The most interesting, however, are the small folkloristic traditions that many citizens uphold. For example, there is a custom assuming that an unmarried woman who puts a mistletoe underneath her pillow during this night will soon meet her husband. Another fascinating tradition is the one in the small village of Portmagee, where people celebrate the old, and not the new year. Finally, the Irish upkeep the custom of first footing, which is characteristic also for the festival of Hogmanay in Scotland. This tradition says that the first guest in the New Year (for example, right after the New Year’s Eve midnight) will determine the luck of his or her host; if the guest is a dark-haired man, it is a good omen, but all other configurations mean bad luck. In the Scottish tradition, these guests are also supposed to bring salt, whisky, coal or black bun cake in order to contribute to the host’s future prosperity. The custom of making gifts on the brink of the New Year is called Callenig in Wales and it is an ancient practice. Apart from all these, the United Kingdom may also boast with the London New Year’s Eve event, which includes the chiming of Big Ben, spectacular fireworks above the London Eye and a worldwide broadcast.
New Year’s Eve is not a public holiday in either Ireland, nor the UK. It is, however, one of the biggest nationwide parties in their calendars, especially in the Scottish one. Luckily, not all folklore has disappeared on the Isles, and hopefully it never will. The entire year is filled with charming, small social customs, and New Year’s Eve is the culmination, or, “the cherry on top”.