A Calendar of some Traditional Scottish Festivals

JANUARY

1 January
New Year’s Day, or Ne’erday Long-celebrated and increasingly popular festival. It traditionally involved first footing: visiting neighbours, family and friends — preferably as soon as possible after the ‘bells’ at midnight.
Orkney Ba’ Games Old-style, uninhibited football games held in Kirkwall, Orkney, between the Uppies and the Doonies, depending what part of the town someone comes from.

First Monday in January
Handsel Monday Traditionally when handsel (usually a gift of money) was given to servants by employers.

5/6 January
Auld Yule & Uphalieday Traditional celebrations of Twelfth Night and the Epiphany.
Celebrations varied around the country, from burning evergreen leaves to eating special celebration cakes.

11 January
Burning of the Clavie One of the traditional Celtic winter fire festivals and a throw­back to ancient Pictish celebrations; at Burghead in Moray.

Last Tuesday in January
Up-helly-Aa Another traditional fire-festival, this time of Norse origin, celebrating Shetland’s Nordic heritage. Lerwick hosts masquerades, guising and a full-dress
torchlit procession, culminating in the burning of a Viking galley.

25 January
Burns Night Celebration of the birth of the national bard Robert Burns. Burns Suppers usually feature haggis with whisky, and recitations of his poetry.

FEBRUARY

2 February
Candlemas Day Like the Romans, the Celts regarded February as the start of spring. Candlemas Day was originally a Roman festival, then the feast of the Purification of the Virgin, celebrated with pageants and religious plays.
Now it is one of the legal ‘Quarter Days’, when rents and other duties must be paid. Schoolchildren also traditionally gave their teachers gifts on this day.

14 February
St Valentine’s Day Celebrated in Scotland as all over Europe. Traditionally, young unmarried people drew names written on pieces of paper to see who their sweetheart would be for the coming year.

MARCH

1 March
Whuppity Scoorie A traditional springtime festival said to chase away evil spirits, it mainly involved running fights between the young men of Lanark and David Dale’s
New Lanark village.

Tuesday before Ash Wednesday
Eastern’s E’en Scots Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday, when all the meat, butter and fat in the house were used up before the fasting of Lent.

APRIL

1 April
Hunt the Gowk Traditional April Fool’s practical jokes and pranks were played, usually involving sending someone on a false, or fool’s errand. A gowk was a cuckoo, a bird associated with foolery.

2 April
Tailie Day or Preen-tail Day The practical jokes continued as paper tails were attached to unsuspecting victims.

Easter An ancient pagan festival of the spring equinox was superceded by the Christian celebration. The recognisable Easter customs — painted egg-rolling, making hot-cross buns — were also celebrated in Scotland; they have now been joined by the more recent arrivals of chocolate eggs and the Easter Bunny.

MAY

1 May
Beltane Another ancient pagan fire festival, this time celebrating May Day and the approach of summer. Bonfires were lit on hilltops all across Scotland.

15 May
Whitsunday This was the second of the Scottish ‘Quarter Days’, or Term Days. It always falls on the same day, unlike Whit Sunday (also known as Pentecost), which falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter.

25 May
Flitting Day Most Scots rented their houses by annual lease, an