Highland Yule Traditions

[Peter Crowe]

Certainly not wishing to dispute the fact about 1957 but, I was working in the North East of Scotland in 1961 in a relatively large firm and Christmas was certainly worked by everybody in the firm except for one worker, an English man and it appears that he always took Christmas off. At that time in this area Hogmanay and New Year's Day was the day of celebration. In my family Christmas was not Celebrated until some time in the 1960's and started off as a watered down version of Hogmanay. Of course, Scotland being quite diverse I accept in other areas and within individual families Christmas could have been celebrated much earlier than this.

I did some further research (Google is your friend) and I was out by a year. Christmas only became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958. What you state rings true of what my father's side of the family (who remained in Macduff, Banff and Gardenstown) did in the early 60's. However, at that same time having a family Christmas party (holiday) was an established practice for most people in west-central Scotland (Lanarkshire and Glasgow City) from speaking with my late mother's side of the family. When i was a child (late 60's and early 70's) I only ever remember it as a work day for my father (when he was away at sea as a merchant navy officer), and my great-uncle who was an Inspector in the Glasgow police.

[AFS1970]

I have never heard of New Christmas and Old Christmas, but in my later childhood, my mother always celebrated Twelfth Night, with a small and less involved celebration than we had on Christmas. Usually just some special food and eggnog. I know that in Hispanic communities the same night is generally called Three Kings Day and in some countries that is when gifts are exchanged, due to the fact that it took 12 days for the three kings to come after being told of the birth of Jesus, so their gifts were given then not at the beginning as our modern custom seems to have developed.

To further confuse things, my wife was born on December 6, which is Saint Nicholas Day, which is some places is when gifts are brought by Saint Nicholas, not on Christmas which is a much more reverent holiday in the countries where this happens. I find it interesting that so many cultures all celebrate the same holiday, and all exchange gifts, yet do so on different days because of different parts of the same tradition. Sometimes the cynical part of me, says that trying to push all three days into each other is just a way to minimize holiday interruptions to the outside world.

[O'Callaghan]

Anne the Pleater mentioned the change in the calendar, such that January 6th falls on the day that would have been December 25th before the change, hence the term "Old Christmas' which I had never heard before, but which makes sense. However, January 6th is also Epiphany or 12th night, and in the South of England it is traditional to remove the decorations on that day. I now live in the US, and the locals all tear down their decorations the day after Xmas Day, on Boxing Day (sacrilege!), but that certainly doesn't happen in our house.

[Pleater]

My decorations don't go up until Christmas Eve, and I keep the twelve days of Christmas - often to the bewilderment of those who start Christmas on 1st December...

When the children were still at school their friends were often puzzled to find that we had decorations up after New Years Day - for Christmas was long gone by then, surely?

Anne the Pleater

[California Highlander]

Hmmm, grew up in Northern California, and maybe it's the Scottish and Welsh ancestry, but we always kept the decor up until Epiphany. Our tree, lights, etc. will be up until then. So not that unusual, but CA is a big state with many traditions.

[jfraser]

I did some further research (Google is your friend) and I was out by a year. Christmas only became a public holiday in Scotland in 1958. What you state rings true of what my father's side of the family (who remained in Macduff, Banff and Gardenstown) did in the early 60's. However, at that same time having a family Christmas party (holiday) was an established practice for most people in west-central Scotland (Lanarkshire and Glasgow City) from speaking with my late mother's side of the family. When i was a child (late 60's and early 70's) I only ever remember it as a work day for my father (when he was away at sea as a merchant navy officer), and my great-uncle who was an Inspector in the Glasgow police.

I have just been talking to a friend from the North East of Scotland and he was saying that they were still working Christmas in the 1970's. He thought that in some of the farming areas it was later than that before they got Christmas off as a public holiday. But, as you stated in some other areas of Scotland Christmas was celebrated well before that. When we were growing up Hogmanay was always the time we got our "Christmas"
presents.

[Julia Elliott]

Growing up in Newfoundland which was still a British Colony until 1949, we still observed the 12 days of Christmas, (and they still do)and Christmas was never over until after January 6 , or "Old Christmas". When i met my husband ( who was American) this became a huge issue our first Christmas together when he was ready to rip down the tree and all decorations on boxing day. I think I eventually won only because I was willing to do all the work, if it stayed up until after the 6th. But I still think we had to have that "discussion" every single year, because he didn't get it,

I'm wondering about the tradition of "Mummering". This has always been huge in Newfoundland, and still is happening in the outports. Does this still happen in the UK at all?

[Pleater]

Mummers are around still - part of the folk revival was going around gathering up all the last remnants of the mumming plays - my paternal grandfather was very short and was cast as 'little devil doubt' in his local play. Even in old age he could recite parts of the dialogue.

Although the characters are St George, the Turkish knight, a doctor with his bag of medicines, and so on they are modern representations of very much older characters.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[HootinHoller]

Mummers are around still -

Although the characters are St George, the Turkish knight, a doctor with his bag of medicines, and so on they are modern representations of very much older characters.

So now I have to wonder how that turned into playing banjos in a feather suit. I will say the mummer's parade in Philadelphia is spectacular.

I also have to thank everyone for participating in this thread, I've learned so much!

[macwilkin]

The BBC ran a very interesting article recently concerning the Norse roots of Christmas:

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-...lands-30411490

Note the connection to the University of Highlands & Islands (UHI) Centre for Nordic Studies:

http://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/research-ent...nordic-studies

Regards,

T.