Following your excellent article on New Year celebrations around the world I would like to offer some additional information that should interest your readers. The article highlighted Australia as having some of the most elaborate and oldest celebrations in the world, while the first is certainly true the best claim to the most established celebrations lies on the other side of the world. The end of year festivities in Scotland predate those taking place at Sydney Harbour Bridge by more than 1000 years. Hogmanay, as the December 31 is known in Scotland, has its origins in the marking of the winter solstice, a tradition brought over by invading Vikings from Scandinavia in the eighth and ninth centuries. Central to it is the act of ‘first footing’ which involves being the first to visit a friend or neighbour after midnight. The first footer would bring with them symbolic gifts such as coal, for heat, shortbread and fruit cake to eat and of course Scotch whisky to drink. Legend has it that the first footer must be a dark haired man if luck was to visit the house over the coming year. Dark hair would indicate a fellow Scotsman whereas anyone with blond or red hair could be an welcome Norse invader. Remera
