Why only have one New Year when you can celebrate two? That’s the logic behind a strange Scottish fire festival, the Burning of the Clavie.
Scotland has dozens of fire festivals and celebrations around Hogmanay, the multi-day New Years celebration that is a Scottish tradition. But Burghead, a town near Elgin in Moray, northeast Scotland, is a better one. All Hogmanay celebrations follow at the beginning of the month with the second New Years fire ritual on January 11.
Burning the clavie
That night the clavie, half a barrel filled with wood chips, tar, and barrel staves, is nailed to a post (some say the same nail is used, year after year) and then brought to the home of one of the people of the city. older residents, the chief of bourgeoisie. He sets it on fire with peat from his own home.
An elected King Clavie , along with several other men, usually fishermen, carry the burning clavie clockwise around the city, stopping from time to time to present smoldering embers to various owners.
Finally, the clavie is brought to an ancient altar in the remains of a Pictish, a stone fort on Doorie Hill. More fuel is added and when the clavie breaks, the embers fall downhill. Spectators grab hot coals to light New Year’s fires in their homes for luck.
No one knows how it started
No one knows how it started or why it started. It clearly has pagan origins, so much so that in the 18th century, churchmen tried to eradicate it. They called it “an abominable and pagan practice.”
Before that, the event was likely to be more widespread in Scotland. Now one of Scotland’s oldest and weirdest fire celebrations just hangs on in Burghead.
No one knows when it started or what it means exactly. Some believe the word comes from cliabh ( clee -av), a Gaelic word for a wicker basket, basket, or cage. Others say that it comes from the Latin word clavus and is of Roman origin. But since no one is sure whether this event is Celtic, pictorial, or Roman in origin, the origin of the word itself is a mystery.
Those who have witnessed the Clavie fire say that the final fire, which may encompass the entire Doorie Hill, bears an eerie resemblance to the ending of the cult film The Wicker Man. However, being modern Scotland, we all had it. very well.
A second new year
The Catholic Church adopted the Gregorian calendar in the mid-16th century, but it took almost 200 years later, around 1752, before the new calendar was finally adopted in Britain. The Scots didn’t like it because 11 days just disappeared with their adoption. There were riots throughout the country, particularly in Scotland, as people chanted, for the return of the 11 days.
At Burghead, they had a better idea. They just celebrated the New Years again on January 11. Grabbing a piece of charred or charred clavie is bound to bring good luck and some people even send pieces to family members abroad.
If you are thinking of witnessing this show, head to Burghead around 6pm on January 11. It is a small town and any local will be able to point you in the right direction. If you want to get a better idea of what we’re talking about, check out this award-winning video on Burning the Clavie .
